Thinking Out Loud
by fcklifeex
Summary: Starts following Season 2. Melanie Stackhouse is Jason and Sookie's younger sister. Sookie's love for a vampire was the tipping point into a world none of them were ready for but while Sookie and Bill went through their trials and tribulations it was Melanie that captures Eric's attention.
1. Chapter 1

_Melanie_

 _ **1 year ago:**_

"My life sucks."

Tara sulked over her margarita. After getting fired/quitting yet another job, she ended up on her stool with her usual drink at Merlotte's like like every other time. It was hard to feel bad for her knowing damn well this was her own doing. She wasn't the greatest with people but in this town, there was little you could do to avoid them.

"Oh, Tara. Don't you be feeling sorry for yourself." Sookie said as she she looked through her receipts. "That's just lazy."

"We'll why can't I keep a job?"

"Maybe because you can't keep your mouth shut." I returned, adjusting a strand of golden hair that had fallen loose back behind my ear.

"Bitch who asked you?" She retorted giving the younger girl a playful wink.

I chuckled while I filled a shot glass for myself and another for Tara before the we shot them back. My sister was way too much of a good girl to join in. Instead, Sookie shot me a warning look before Sam approached.

"How you doin', Sookie?" He came from behind me, nervously wiping his hands on his towel.

"I've had better nights." She shrugged.

He leaned over the bar, his lips curling into a smile. "Anything I can do to improve this one for you?"

Tara and I raised our eyebrows at the awkwardness of it all. Sookie looked between us before lowering her gaze.

" _Fuck. Now it's awkward. Quick, say something!"_

Poor Sam. I could hear his thoughts loud and clear. It was clear he was in love with her but Sookie's head was always in the clouds.

The air felt tighter all of a sudden. The bells on the door chimed as it opened and a pale figure with dark hair entered the bar.

Vampire.

I looked over at my sister - she was awestruck as she watched the dead man walk into her section, taking a seat before their eyes met. I wasn't a romantic by any means nor did I have anything against vampires but Sookie's "moment" caused me to roll my eyes. Sookie was always drawn to trouble, and that's exactly what this guy was. Trouble.

 _ **Present day:**_

Trouble is exactly what came after that. Gran was murdered, along with 3 other woman, and was now after Sookie. The town thought it had been vampires until it turned out to be Arleene's husband. Sam turned out to be this weird shifter thing. Everything had started when Bill walked into our lives.

After throwing on a pair of denim shorts and a loose maroon tank top, I sat on the bed, my fingertips emitting a golden light. The light forming into a glowing ball of energy when I faced my palms together. I couldn't help but stared, mesmerized and dazed all at once. It started as just a spark here and there and now it had grown the more I'd focused my energy into it. I had no idea what it was - what I was - but I could feel it in my soul that it was not something to take lightly.

"Mel! Let's go!" Sookie's angry tone caused her to lose focus, the light disappearing inside of her.

I knew why my sister was upset, but she was always upset and after the death of Gran, I had very little patience for it.

Bill had confided in me that Eric, "sheriff of area 5", wanted Sookie's help, but if he caught wind of how useful Sookie could be to him, he would never leave her out of this. The only issue was that Bill couldn't refuse him so I had offered to help. When night fell, Bill would take me down to Fangtasia and get this over with. Of course when Sook found out, she threw a fit but my mind had been made up.

It wasn't long before the car pulled to a stop in front of the club.

Sookie turned to face Bill. "So what? Five, ten minutes?"

"As long as Eric requires us." He answered calmly.

"You mean as long as he requires my sister! Didn't even have the decency to ask us himself!"

"Sook .." I tried to calm her. Last thing we needed was to see this escalate.

"You are mine and though I hold no claim over Melanie, by association he doesn't need to ask either of your permissions."

"He cannot just check out out like library books!"

"Unfortunately Sookie, he can!" His voice getting louder. "Eric is sheriff of Area 5. It's a position of great power among our kind. We do not want to anger him. As long as the requests are reasonable, we should accede to his wishes."

By then, I'd already gotten outta the car. I had to listen to those two argue almost every night and I'd be damned if I had to sit through it in a hot car.

"Melanie!" Bill called from the car. "You can't just go off on your own. You have no idea what Eric's up to"

"Yeah well, let's get this over with." I shrugged, running my fingers through my long hair to bring it over my shoulder. WIth the heat of Louisiana, sweat had already started to form down my neck.

Bill walked in first before Sookie and I followed. She laced her fingers through mine, giving me a light squeeze before we were approached by a woman in a pink cardigan - not what I expected in this atmosphere.

"Eric will be here in a minute." She told us, her voice sounding bored and monotone.

The couple stood while I walked over to the bar, sitting on a stool. I took a moment to scan over the place. I'd heard so many stories of the parties that happened here but I'd never been in herself. It was a nice space, fully stocked bar, tacky red lights hung around various areas, and a seat, almost throne like, at the front of the room.

I could feel the blonde woman eyeing me her nose twitching as if she was smelling me while the long haired man against the far wall watched Sookie intently, but it was strange being in a room as quiet at this. Usually, even when I tried my hardest, I would always hear a faint whisper of someone's thoughts, yet this place was silent.

The air thickened again when a door opened and a tall blonde man walked in. His hair shoulder length, his skin pale, his body rock hard under his black tank top. His icy blue eyes went around the room before they fell to me. It was hard not to stare at him, his whole presence commanding respect.

"You must be Melanie." His voice low as he approached me. "Bill tells me you have the ability to read minds?"

My eyes shifted towards Bill before meeting Eric's again. "Yea - yes." I nodded.

"Great, well let's get started." He lowered our hands before directing me to sit at a table across from a sobbing overweight man in glasses and a white button up.

"Pam, Longshadow, and I are partners in this club. And recently we noticed that $60,000 has gone missing from our books." He spoke as he circled the table before stopping next to the man, placing a hand on his shoulder." And Bruce is our accountant. Perhaps you can listen to him."

"He's not saying anything." Sookie remarked from behind us.

"Don't be coy." He warned, never taking his eyes off of mine. "It's humbling enough to turn to a human for assistance. We know what you two can do?"

"And I know what you can do to. Why don't you just glamour him?"

"Sook, enough." I turned around, to face her. "I agreed to come here. If you don't like it you can wait outside."

She shot me an angry look but I turned back to the nordic godlike vampire in front of me.

"Don't you think we tried everything before summoning you? So it would be a great favor to me and to Mr. Compton if you help us."

I looked down at the man in front of me before taking his hand in mine.

" _Holy shit, what's this crazy bitch doing? Why did I agree to work for vampires? Goddamn it, I knew it was a bad idea! I've been straight with these fuckers. Gotta be an idiot to steal from them. Jesus Christ, I was the one who reported it."_

"Bruce, it's okay. Take a deep breath." I offered a smile as I rubbed his hand. "Did you steal their money?"

"No. No! You gotta believe me. I didn't do it. I swear to -"

"Shh. Do you know who did it?" I asked calmly.

"No, I wish." He said, hanging his head.

" _I would turn that fucker in so fast. Who was it? Couldn't have been Ginger, she's too dumb. Although she's hot as shit, I'd fuck her if I could."_

"He's telling the truth." I looked up at Eric, not willing to listen to this man's dirty mind any longer.

"You trust a skinny human to clear a fat one?" Longshadow scoffed from behind the bar.

Eric's eyes met mine, as if trying to read me before he sighed. "Bring in the next one."

Pam walked over with a smaller blonde, my height, with deep bite marks all over her neck and chest. Her metallic crop top and short shorts barely hiding the rest of her body.

"Ginger, this woman has some questions for you. Now be a good girl and answer them."

"Aye aye, master." She smirked up at him as she took a seat.

Reaching my hands over the table to grab hers, she pulled away abruptly. "Don't you touch me."

"Hold her still." He told Pam and she pushed the woman forward, making her look me in the eyes.

"Ginger, someone's been stealing money from the bar."

"Really, huh?"

" _Don't look at me you fucking bitch, I didn't do nothing. I'll beat the shit outta you if you say I did."_

My lips curled into a smirk, but I had to keep listening.

" _It wasn't me that took it. Fuckin' wasn't me."_

"She didn't do it." I shook my head, "but she knows who did."

"What?" She looked between us confused before narrowing her eyes at me. "Fuck you."

" _Shit how'd she know? I didn't tell anyone I swear! Fuck, he's gonna kill me_!"

"Who, Ginger. Who's going to kill you? What's his name?"

No matter how hard I focused, I couldn't get anything.

"Sook." I called over my shoulder. "Come look at this. It's like her mind's blank. Like it's been erased."

Sookie leaned over my shoulder, concentrating as hard as she could before it hit her. "She's been glamoured." She looked between Pam and Eric.

I looked at Ginger again as she stared at the table in fear before her eyes lifted to something behind the bar. Following her gaze, I looked at Longshadow. His fangs dropped as he jumped over the countertop. Before I knew it his hands were wrapped around Sookie's neck, choking her out on the table. I grabbed his hair, trying anything to pull him away but he wasn't budging. One arm reached back, grabbing my shirt before he tossed me in the air slamming my back over the edge of the table before I landed on the ground.

When I opened my eyes the four of them were standing over me. Sookie was covered in blood from head to toe. "Sook?" I croaked out, feeling the enormous amount of pain from my back.

"Oh thank god!" She pulled me in for a hug.

"Did we get him?" I sat up slowly.

"We got him sweetie."

"Sookie, Pam will show you where you can get cleaned up. Mr. Compton, we have some business to discuss." Eric looked at me, lowering his hand to help me up but all I could do was scream in pain.

"Looks like she's got a broken rib." Pam noted, still in the same uninterested tone.

"Shit! We have to get her to a hospital!" Sookie panicked, standing up in a hurry.

Pam scoffed. "Like hell you are. You're drenched in dead vampire what's this gonna look like?"

"Exactly what it was, a vampire attack!" She argued.

Eric growled at her and Bill stepped forward defensively.

The older vamp dropped his fangs not breaking eye contact before he raised his wrist and bit, causing blood to pour out, he leaned down next to me but Bill grabbed his arm.

"What're you doing?" He snarled.

"Repaying her favor." Eric smirked.

I knew what it meant - drinking from Eric. I knew he would get to keep track of me. Find me whenever he wanted, but the pain was too great not to take his offer.

That was when it all started for me.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Melanie_**

Another day, another dead body. As if all of this wasn't so fucked up already. Sookie and Tara's screams were still echoing in my ear from when they found here. Police had arrived shortly after. They had asked us all questions, clearing out that any one of us might be a suspect but with Rene dead, that meant that there was a new murderer out there.

I had barely gotten any sleep that night, images of the dead body in the car would come into my head, followed by random passionate sex with Eric, then going back to Gran's blood smeared all over our kitchen. With everything that had happened to this town in the last year, it was hard to keep going, but I knew Gran would've wanted us too.

Sookie was downstairs, probably cleaning like she did every time something was wrong. I'd ask but the thought of listening to her complain about one more thing Bill did bored me. Instead, I showered, put on some fresh clothes and walked down the hallway into Gran's room. We hadn't been in since she'd passed. It was weird how normal it looked. As if she'd just left for the store and would be back any minute. Her bed was unkempt, her glasses with her medication and a cup of water still by her bedside. Her knitting still on her couch with flowers still very much alive and vibrate by the table.

Picking up the knitting, I held it against me and breathed it in. It still smelled like her. Life kept going after she passed, but her room seemed to be frozen in time. Basked in the comfort she'd left behind.

"I miss her so much." Sookie's voice interrupted my thoughts.

Turning slowly, I saw her at the doorway, too scared to fully cross the threshold. Putting Gran's knitting back down on her couch, I walked over, wrapping my arms around her, letting her head rest on my shoulder. I felt the wetness of a single tear on my shirt and I squeezed her tighter around me before it was followed by another and another. Her soft sobs filling the room. I could feel her pain and see every memory she was seeing.

"Shh, you gotta be strong babe." I whispered against her messy hair. "Gran would want all of us to be strong."

She pulled away, wiping her tears before she stepped further into the room. "Do you mind if I take this room?" She asked timidly, not turning to look at me as she took in her belongings.

I shook my head. I could hardly be in this house after Gran's passing, much less sleep in her bedroom. "No, you go ahead. Do you want help cleaning it out? We'll have to start eventually."

 **OOO**

"Hey Mel, is Sookie here? I need to talk to you guys."

Jason approached the bar, leaning over the counter to plant a kiss on my cheek. He hadn't been around to much after Gran died. I knew he got hooked on V but it was never spoken about. After he got with Amy I watched as he was spiraling out of control. Amy wasn't bad but she was a psychopath, I believed that with everything in me. She didn't deserve to die like she did but I was still glad she was out of his life. He seemed like a whole new person after that.

"Sorry, hun. Just missed her. She's spending quality time with Bill's kid."

"Bill has a kid?" He asked, sitting on the stool.

"Kinda? She called it a progeny. It's some 17 year old girl he had to turn into a vamp."

He scrunched his eyebrows but said nothing further about it. "After you guys gave me uncle Barlette's check, I decided I'm going away for a week. I'm going to this leadership conference."

"A leadership conference, huh? What church?" I crossed my arms, leaning forward on my elbows.

"Marlboro Baptist. In Baton Rouge. It's only for a week. It'll give me the chance to get away from everything."

Reaching over, I brushed his hair back before placing a kiss on his forehead. "You deserve it. Have fun at Church Camp."

"Thanks." He smiled before leaving the bar.

The bar got busier later that night. The new hire Daphne kept messing up orders and breaking things. Arlene was ready to throw a fit and customers kept complaining. It was to much to handle all at once. Leaving Tara to man the bar, I walked out to the back to get some air. Sam's head was peeking out over the bushes and I made my way over to see him sitting on the steps of his trailer drinking a beer.

"You alright?" I asked, taking the seat next to him.

"Is anything ever alright?" he scoffed. "Do you know how busy it is in there? And your sister decides she's too good to work here."

I lowered my head to chuckle at his bitterness, taking the bottle of beer from his hands to take a sip. "You always let her."

"I'm just, so tired of charring my ass on her back burner." He sighed. "She's either yelling at me or apologizing over something. It's too much to deal with. I don't know how you do it."

* * *

 _ **Eric:**_

With Pam up my ass about new clothes, I found myself at the mall. Throughout the last hundred years with her by my side I've learned that it's easier to give in some of her demands in order to keep the peace. What I didn't expect from this trip was to run into Bill.

I watched as he went through a few racks of women's clothing before a redheaded associate approached him. He must be looking for his child. As much of a joy as being a maker might be, dealing with a baby vampire is nothing but a nuisance. Either way, I had business to take care of.

"Good evening, Old sport." I approached the two, interrupting another meaningless conversation he had struck up with a human.

"Eric?" He turned, looking surprised by the short hair and lack of a suit.

"It's the new me." I cocked an eyebrow, "You like?"

"I do." He smiled, amused."Very much."

"We need to talk."

Crossing his arms over his chest, he followed me as we started walking through aisles. "What about?"

"As you know, the Sheriff of area 9 in Texas has gone missing. Have you heard about that?"

"I hadn't." Bill shook his head. "But I know the vampire of whom you speak. His name is Goddrick, correct?"

"Indeed. Now it goes without saying he needs to be found. Which is where Melanie comes in."

"No." He growled under his breath, coming to a stop.

"As you insist on playing the role of guardian for her and her sister. I'm asking your permission to take her with me to Dallas."

"Eric, you can do whatever you want with me but I'm not putting Melanie in this position anymore. I cannot and I will not allow you to bring her into these matters anymore. Sookie would never forgive me."

"I'm only asking your permission out of respect. She's had my blood. If I want her, I'll simply take her."

He wasn't going to back down, but it didn't matter. Fact of the matter was, he could stare me down all he wanted, Melanie was going to come.

"Is no your final answer?" I asked once more.

"It is."

* * *

 _ **Melanie**_

 _"Melanie, it's Sookie. I- I can't feel my body."_

A cold shiver ran down my body as Sookie's thoughts filled my head. It wasn't uncommon for us to communicate this way but the pain and fear she felt almost brought me to my knees. Trying hard to concentrate. I closed my eyes.

 _"What happened?! Where are you?!"_

 _"Fangtasia, hurry."_

"Woah woah, Mel you okay?" Terry called behind the window.

"I gotta go." I yelled back as I dropped the bottle in my hand, running for the door.

It was hard not to let your mind wander when your sister's screams filled your head. With the company she kept she was constantly in trouble, but this - this was a sense of pain I'd never felt from her. It was physical, almost torturous.

The car couldn't get there fast enough and driving on bare memory alone, I was surprised I found the place at all. I got out of the car and ran to the locked door, slamming my fists as hard as I could. I could hear Sookie's thoughts louder and clearer and it was much worse than I thought.

The door opened slowly and Eric's 6'4 figure appeared on the side. He looked surprised but his usual smirk took over his face. It had been months since I saw him in person but I had dreamed about his so vividly every night since. He stepped forward, opening his mouth to speak but Sookie's screams in the background silenced him. I shoved past him to get inside only to see Sookie in the middle of the room, lying on a table with blood drenching her tank top. A person in scrubs seemed to be pouring an acidic substance on her while Bill held her down.

What the actual fuck.

"Sook!" I ran over, pushing the Bill and the random person away before catching a glimpse of the large scratches down her back. "What the fuck have you done to her!"

I sank to my knees next to her, wiping the tears from her cheeks while the pseudo doctor and both vampires stood around us.

"Melanie, you must let Dr. Ludwig do her job. She's been poisoned." Bill commanded.

"How could you let this happen!?" I screamed at him, taking a better look at the blood bubbling from her wounds.

The doctor huffed as she waited patiently. "The longer we wait, the less of a chance she'll have."

"Fuck you!" I yelled but found myself ripped away and in Eric's arms as he held me back.

"If you want her to live you better listen to her." He cautioned, not letting me out of his grip.

"How could you let this happen!?" I screamed at Bill. "You promised you'd keep her safe!"

"She wasn't out of my sight for more than a few seconds!" He replied, guilt written across his face.

Dr. Ludwig quickly got back to work, digging her fingers into Sookie's open cuts, scooping out as much of the poison as she could. Her screams ringing through my ears and and my head. I couldn't watch any longer. It was the most useless I'd ever felt. I covered my eyes and Eric tucked me into his chest. As cold as his body was, this was the warmest he'd ever felt.

He didn't let me go until the doctor finished up. "Alright," She announced after what felt like hours. "You can give her some of your blood. Her body should accept it. It won't heal her right away, she'll need rest, but she'll be fine."

Walking back over to Sookie, I sank to my knees, brushing her blood soaked hair out of her face. I tried to listen in, but I couldn't hear or see anything but darkness. Lowering my head next to hers, I couldn't stop the tears as they started streaming down my face.

"Mine is much stronger, allow me." I heard Eric behind me.

"Never." Bill seethed before taking his place next to me, offering Sook his wrist. "Sookie, can you hear me? You must drink."

I watched as she latched onto his wrist, drinking as if her life depended on it and quite literally - it did.

"How did you know to find her here?" Eric turned his attention towards me.

Brushing off my knees, I stood to face him. "She called for me."

"Called for you how?" He stepped closer, intrigued.

Shrugging my shoulders, I looked up as he towered over me. "I don't know. Just like we're able to read minds, we're able to hear and feel each other. She told me she was here."

"Interesting." He muttered.

"I need you to tell me what the fuck happened here. What did this to her?" I demanded, looking between Eric and now Bill who had joined us.

"Area's been scanned," Pam walked in followed by a hefty looking man dressed in a black suit. Both parties covered in dirt. "Tracks were human, but the smell was distinctly animal."

"What kind?" Eric asked, turning his gaze from me to look at them.

"A filthy one." Pam quipped.

"We didn't recognize it." The man in suit answered.

"How intriguing. Send an alert through the appropriate channels. Find out what the neighbors know." He commanded.

Pam and the guy nodded before Bill chimed in. "I don't want to move her."

"Of course not. I'll make sure she's taken care of."

"Fuck both of you. Where were you when this happened?" I pointed out. "I'm staying with her until she's healed then we're getting the fuck out of here."

"The mouth on this one." Eric chuckled. "I'm assuming you won't leave either?" He looked at Bill.

"No." He shook his head.

"Longshadow kept a coffin in the back. He liked to feed before resting so it might be be a bit messy but you're welcome to it."

Bill nodded, looking at me before hanging his head before retiring to the back. He knew he'd failed me. Failed Sookie and he deserved to feel like shit.

"Well, goodnight." Eric said, going to follow him.

"Eric, wait." I stopped him, grabbing his wrist. "Thank you. Thank you for saving her life."

His eyes bore into mine, studying me carefully. "I'm sure there's a way you can repay me."

 **OOO**

A nudge to my ribs makes me jerk awake to see Sookie's smiling face. She looked brand new, like yesterday never happened. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes as I sat up. Fangtasia has no windows, no clocks, no way of telling whether it was day or night. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was okay.

Sookie wrapped her arms around me tightly, resting her head on my neck. My arms snaked around her as we embraced. No one should have to see their sibling going through that much pain. No one. The fact that I almost lost her last night made me grateful I got to hold her today.

"There you are! I didn't know when you two would wake up. I made you both sandwiches." Ginger's voice broke us up as she came from the back.

"Thanks Ginger." I nodded, taking the plate. I still had no appetite after watching that doctor pull skin and tissue from Sookie's back but it was still a nice gesture.

"What time is it?" Sookie asked, putting her plate on the counter.

"Oh, about 5. You all have been sleeping the day away."

"Jesus Christ." I sighed. "Sam's going to kill us."

Sookie smiled at Ginger as she stared at us expectantly, waiting for us to try her peanut butter and chocolate syrup sandwiches.

"Do they make you stay here everyday?" Sook asked her.

Ginger moved around, picking up empty bottles left behind on the tables. "Well sometimes I just come in for deliveries, but lately I've been coming in for -" She paused, catching herself and giggling nervously. "Oh, nevermind that. You just eat up and go back to sleep."

 _"Oh my god. I almost told her about her friend Lafayette in the basement. Eric says I can't tell them."_

Sookie and I looked at each other and I stood up slowly as Sookie stepped towards her. "Lafayette?" She asked her. "Why would Eric have Lafayette in the basement?"

"I just work here." Ginger back tracked. She tried to step away but I stepped in front of her.

 _"Please don't make me use the gun under the cash register."_

Sookie ran behind the counter while I stopped Ginger from running after her. She shrieked when Sook pointed the gun at her.

"Take me to him. Now!" I ordered.

You could see the fear behind her eyes but this was no time for mercy. Sookie yelled once more and she walked us down to a locked door that lead down to the basement. After finally getting the door open, we walked down to see a figure in the darkness.

"Lafayette?" Sookie asked.

"It's him!" I confirmed after running over to him. "He's chained."

"Melanie? Is that really you?" His voice was weak and with the little light that came from the stairs you could see the fang marks all over him.

"What have they done to you?" I cupped his cheek, trying to hold his head up.

Barely holding his eyes opened, he looked at me. "Do I look like a vampire?"

"You look like shit."

"I feel fucking worse. I guess that means I ain't a vampire, which is good."

"Uncuff him!" Sookie yelled over at Ginger.

"I don't have the keys. I swear!" She screamed.

 _"Eric's going to be so mad at me. Jesus have mercy."_

"We're going to get you outta here." Sookie promised him. "Come on, Mel."

"I'm not leaving him!" I stood, pulling my phone out to use as a flashlight. "There's gotta be something here I can use."

Bingo.

My light landed on a brick. I picked it up and ran over to him. "Hold on, sweetie. I got this."

I smashed the brick as hard as I could onto the chain. It took a while but I was finally able to get it to break.

"Come on." I offered him my hand, helping him to his feet.

"I can't, that blonde bitch shot me in the leg." He groaned in pain as he leaned his weight on me.

"Ginger!" I snapped. "Help me take him upstairs."

Sookie pushed her forward with the gun still in hand and with her help we managed to get him up the stairs. We were only a few feet from the door when Eric was suddenly in front of us.

"I'm not quite finished with this one."

"Oh, trust me. You are." I stepped between Lafayette and him, having Sookie replace me under his arm.

"What the hell is going on here?" Bill came from the back room.

"Eric's been keeping Lafayette down in the basement, chained like an animal and left to bleed to death!" Sookie seethed. "So help me, if you knew anything about this Bill Compton!"

"I had no idea!" He defended.

"This human traded sexual services with a vampire in order to sell his blood. Which you know is a grave offense."

"His name is Lafayette!" She yelled at him. "And you should be ashamed of yourself!"

"Sookie." Bill warned her.

"Glad to see you're feeling better." Eric smirked.

"Go to hell!" She lunged at him but Bill held her back.

"He's coming with us and if you even try to stop me, I'll stake you myself" I threatened.

Eric's fangs dropped and he had me pinned by my throat against the nearest wall. "I don't respond well to threats." He hissed.

"Neither do I!" I screamed and trying to push him off but before I knew it, that glow came from my hands and I had sent him flying across the room, crashing into tables and chairs.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Eric:**_

The room fell silent as we all stopped to stare at her. Whatever the fuck she did hurt like hell. Like electricity had just run right through me. If I wasn't already dead she would've killed me.

Pam ran over to me, checking for any visible injuries. "What did you do to him, you bitch?"

"What in God's name was that, Mel?!" Sookie broke the silence but Melanie hadn't moved. She just stood there, staring in shock at her own hands.

What was she?

I knew she was more than human, this just proved the theory. I brushed myself off and stood up. As angry as I should've been with her, I wasn't. She just further peaked my interest.

I started to approach her slowly and Bill stood in my way. He was really becoming a pain in my side when it came to getting to the bottom of her and her sister. I respected the fact that Sookie was his, but Melanie - she was nobody's. An untamed spirit. One that I wanted to spend my time trying to tame.

"Step aside, Bill." I warned him slowly.

"She didn't mean it, Eric. Please."

"Move." I demanded, my tone louder.

Reluctantly, he moved aside and behind him stood Melanie. Her vibrant blue eyes were wide, almost childlike. There was a hint of fear in them but mostly confusion and curiosity. She had no idea what she had done. What she was capable of.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, lowering her head again to look at her hands. "I - I don't know what happened."

I took her hands in mine, the tan of her skin contrasting against my own. Her skin, soft and delicate. Her palms were warm. Her fingertips a little red but there was nothing. No hint of a light coming from them.

She cleared her throat and took a deep breath for courage before looking at me again. "I'm taking Lafayette with me."

"On one condition." I countered.

"You're just going to let her get away with whatever the hell that was?!" Pam yelled.

"Eric." Bill interrupted. "Don't."

"What is it?" She asked, ignoring everyone else but me.

"I need you to come to Dallas with me to help find the missing sheriff of that area."

She crossed her arms, her eyes finally leaving mine to look at Lafayette and her sister before looking at me again. "So if I agree to go to Dallas to look for some missing vampire, you'll let him go?"

"No." Sookie protested. "No way. I'll go. Leave her out of this."

Bill grabbed her arm. "No! You nearly died last night, you are not going to Dallas."

"Bill, I can make up my own mind." She whispered harshly through clenched teeth.

"None of you are going." Melanie stepped forward. "You stay out of this Sookie. You get into enough shit as it is."

"I'll pay for your expenses of course." I offered, leaning back against the table.

"If she goes, I go." Sookie contended. "And we'll take $5000."

"Sookie!" The younger sister argued.

"We've missed a lot of work, Mel. We got bills."

"You're human's getting cocky." I cautioned Bill.

"$10,000 and I will escort them."

"I don't think so. No."

"$10,000 and Bill comes with us or it's a deal breaker." The older Stackhouse concluded.

I looked at Melanie as she rolled her eyes at their dramatics. I too was quickly loosing my patience and growing quite annoyed by the mouthy one. I don't know what Bill saw in her. They didn't comprehend the gravity of this trip.

"Enough!" I hissed. "You will need to leave immediately. Take your friend home and pack what you need."

"I'll make the travel arrangements." Bill stepped out.

"Melanie." I grabbed her hand as she started to walk away towards her friend. "Do not let me down."

She paused for a moment, gaging the seriousness of my tone before slowly nodding her head.

* * *

 _ **Melanie:**_

I'd never been out of Louisiana, much less flown on a plane. Neither had Sookie but she was enjoying it much more than I was. With the turbulence at landing, my stomach was in knots as I ran to the restroom throwing up what little I'd had to eat for the day.

"You okay in there?" Sookie knocked on the door.

"I'll be fine!" I yelled out mid-dry heave.

"Well alright, I'll head out and make sure Bill and Jessica are okay."

They had decided to bring Jessica, the baby Vamp with absolutely no training whatsoever so Bill could use this as bonding time. Sookie was taking it in stride, saying how they could use it as a mini vacation and what not. Under any other circumstances, I'd be enjoying my time as well but something behind Eric's steel grey eyes told me this was more than just his civil duty to help find another sheriff. No. Whoever this man was, he was important to him.

I brushed my teeth and rinsed my face with cold water. I couldn't say I was a fan of flying but at least I got to experience it. As I patted my face dry with a towel, I heard Sookie scream outside.

"Get your hands off me!" She yelled as I ran down the stairs. Bill was out of his coffin already, holding a bald guy by his throat.

"What the hell happened?" I asked looking between the three of them.

"He tried to throw me in the Limo." Sookie answered not taking her eyes from him.

"Someone must've sent him." Bill added.

We heard banging from behind us and turned to see Jessica's coffin moving around.

"Hey!" She screamed banging on the lid. "Someone get me out of here! How the hell do you open this thing?!"

I looked at Bill and Sookie with a sigh. Goddamn baby Vamps. Now we had to babysit with everything else going on. Sookie walked over to let her out while Bill shoved the guy into the limo.

"Let's go." He said, stepping in behind the man.

Once we all got in, Bill took a seat in front of the man. Leaning forward so that he was looking directly into his eyes. We could see the beads of nervous sweat running down his bald head as he stared back at Bill.

"Tell me." Bill glamoured. "What is your name?"

"Leon." The guy answered numbly.

"Alright then, Leon. No one is going to hurt you." Turning his head to Jessica, he smiled. "Would you like to try?"

Sookie and I sat back, watching him walk her through how to do it. It was cute to see them interact. Almost like a real father and daughter - except not related and dead? Whatever, it was adorable to see her learn how to function.

Bill let her take over after a few minutes and came to sit near us. "He was sent to abduct you. Which means somebody knew you were coming."

"Who do you think's behind it? Vampires?" Sookie asked, sitting closer against him.

"To sloppy." He shook his head. "Maybe that church."

"Bill, they may be crazy but they're still a church. They're not going to kidnap anybody."

I leaned forward and shook my head. "Cause people ain't done erratic shit in the name of religion?."

"She's right." Bill added. "Churches have done much much worse throughout history."

"They're not a church. They're a hate group and I don't doubt that this was them. Let's just get to the hotel."

 **OOO**

Bill and Sookie checked in with one employee while I checked in with another. Handing her my license she entered my name in the system before looking at me with a pleasant smile.

"Great! You're in suite 10A, it's on the top floor. Courtesy of Mr. Northman. Any room service is also covered as well as a continental breakfast every morning from 6am to 9am. Feel free to call the desk if you need anything."

Top floor suite? Sounded way to nice for someone who had just tried to kill him. I returned the smile, taking my brochure and room key before rejoining the group.

"I'm on the 10th floor. Where are you guys?"

Sookie looked at her key. "Well we were on the second, but we decided to upgrade to the suite so it say's we're 10c."

"Oh good, I'm 10a." I looked over at Jessica still playing with Leon. "What're we going to do with him?"

"We'll question him upstairs." Bill nodded, looking around suspiciously.

The suite was huge. It had a king sized bed, draped in gray and white sheets. A black glass minibar filling one of the corners with a small sitting area and a fireplace. A flat screen tv hung on the wall across from the bed and blackout blinds covered the windows for vampire guests. The room was adjoined by an enormous white bathroom with large jacuzzi tub and glass paneled shower. I'd never been in a hotel before, much less a suite like this. Eric really didn't spare any expenses when it came to this trip - or you for that matter.

As much as I wanted to enjoy this, there were more pressing matters at hand. I walked across the hall to Sookie's room where Bill was already questioning Leon and took a seat across from them next to Sook.

"Who sent you?"

"Fellowship of the sun." He stammered.

Bill shot a look between us before Sookie asked next. "Are you a member?"

"No, they hired me?"

"Who specifically?" I leaned closer.

"Not sure, it was over the phone. Money was put in a locker for me at a Greyhound station."

"And they hired you to do what exactly?" Bill asked him.

"Abduct a human with the Compton party and bring them to the church."

"Do you know our names?" Sookie interrogated further.

"No'mam. I didn't even know you were a woman or that there were two of you. All I know is that a vampire is using a woman to find a vampire, Godric."

My head shot up as I heard the name. "Do you know where he is?"

"No'mam. I do not."

Bill wrapped up glamouring him before calling Eric. Sookie poured us some wine while I sat by the fire. I had known this wasn't going to be easy but it hadn't been real until we landed and were immediately hit with something. Yeah the place was nice, but we were in danger. Real danger. AGAIN.

"Yeah, she's fine. It was Sookie they almost abducted." I heard Bill over the phone.

* * *

 _ **Eric:**_

"I admire you, Bill." I sat back in the large leather sofa, watching everyone around mingle. "It takes a real vampire to admit he cannot protect his human."

Bill scoffed, joining his hands together in front of him. "And it takes a real monster not to care about anyone or anything other than himself."

"I care about others."

"You care about Godric. You have no obligations to Dallas or Texas. This is personal for you. Why?"

A waitress came by and placed a bottle of true blood on the table in front of us. I rolled my eyes at his preference of that disgusting tar they called a replacement for blood.

"I hope you'll enjoy your blood substitute, which is costing me $45."

"Oh I have no intention of drinking it. I just want you to pay for it." He quipped.

"How mature of you."

He leaned forward over the armrest his inquisitive gaze weighing heavy on me. "Answer the question. Why this allegiance to Godric?"

I could've told him the truth but I couldn't trust Bill Compton as far as I could throw him. It wasn't a secret that he was my maker, but with everything going on, it wasn't something to be said freely. You never know what someone could do with that information.

"He's much beloved by his subjects." I answered vaguely.

Bill chuckled, "Only Kings and Queens have subjects, Eric. Not sheriffs."

"Godric could have been King of Texas had he wanted. He could've been King of any vampire territory anywhere. He is twice as old as I am and very powerful. There are none above him in the new world."

"We'll if he's so powerful, how could they abduct him?"

"Now that's what worries me." I leaned forward, closing some distance between us. "If one such as he can be taken by humans, then none of us are safe."

He leaned back in his seat again letting out a sigh. "What can I give you to release Sookie from this?"

"I don't care what you do with Sookie. It is her sister I made the agreement with. She included herself voluntarily."

"Then release Melanie." He argued. "We haven't been here for more than a few hours and already Sookie has been attacked."

" Your accident prone human isn't of my concern. We'll meet again tomorrow." I stood, pushing his bottle of true blood closer to him. "Drink up."

I left Bill at the bar, brooding at the misery of his own existence as he's done for over a century. I never understood how someone could spend so much of their time moping as much as he did but he wasn't my problem.

The elevator doors opened to the tenth floor. I stepped out only to be pushed aside by Sookie chasing after some hotel employee. Now that was another person I would never understand. Shaking my head I walked down the hallway to 10A. Sliding my key card in, I entered slowly as to not frighten her but the room was empty, only lit dimly from the bathroom light, the sound of her voice singing off key to an old country song coming from the other side. It brought a smile to my lips. If it was one thing I missed about my humanity was my ability to put all troubles aside for a few moments of ignorant bliss.

I popped open the bathroom door and was met by the sight of her laying peacefully in the bathtub, eyes closed as she relaxed in the sauna she had created. Though bubbles surrounded her skin, the transparency of the water gave me full view of her perfect body. It stirred up something inside of me that I hadn't felt in quite some time.

"Mmm." I groaned. "Such a strange sensation when the reality matches what you've pictured in your mind so precisely."

Her eyes shot open and she jumped for a moment, a scream escaping her lips before catching her breath.

"Jesus christ! What are you doing here?!" She yelled, crossing her arms and legs to protect her modesty.

"I came to check in with you." I shoved my hands into the pockets of my suit pants, leaning against the bathroom countertop.

Biting her bottom lip, she looked around for her towel before giving in. "I'll be out in a minute." She motioned for the neatly folded pile of towels next to me.

Handing one over, I waited for her to stand but she just looked at me expectantly. It took me a moment to realize she wanted privacy.

"Fine. Hurry." I said, closing the door behind me.

I was glad to see she was enjoying the room. This might have seemed like she was doing this for her friend, but she was actually doing me a great favor. I would've given her anything she had asked for. Except - she hadn't asked for anything. All she wanted was her friend home and safe. I'd even paid him a visit to heal him. It was her two companions who wouldn't shut up about their demands.

She stepped out a few minutes later wrapped in a white towel. Her golden hair in damp waves down her back and her skin glowing. It took a minute for me to stop staring and catch my breath.

"Everything okay with the room?" I asked.

She brushed her hair behind her ear, making her way to sit on the couch crossing one of her legs over the other. "Yeah, it's a beautiful hotel."

"And the flight?" I came to sit across from her.

"I'd never flown before. I ended up being sick to my stomach for most of it." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Glad to see you're feeling better."

"Thanks." She nodded, nervously picking at the chipped nail polish on her nails. "How are you feeling?"

Scrunching my eyebrows in confusion, I tilted my head. "Fine. Why?"

"Last night." She lifted her head to look at me. "Did I hurt you?"

"It hurt like hell." You admitted more honestly than you cared for.

"I'm sorry." Melanie looked at her palms. "I had no idea I could do that."

I studied her for a minute as she stared at her hands. The same confusion and interest written across her face as the previous nights. She wasn't human. I knew that much but I had no idea what she could be.

"I shouldn't have put my hands on you anyway." I sighed. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

She nodded her head. "Are we meeting with the Dallas vampires?"

"Yes. Listen - these vampires aren't like us. Without Godric - I don't know what they're capable of. Tomorrow. I want you to stick by my side."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "I know how to take care of myself."

"None the less Melanie. You stick by me. Do as I say. Not because I'm telling you to, but for your own safety. And whatever that light thing was, don't do it around any of them. I don't want them getting any sort of interest in you."

She stood, sighing heavily as she took a few steps away from me. "Why, Eric? Why should I trust you? I know what you did - turning in Bill to the Magister when he was protecting Sookie. I saw what you did to Lafayette. He told me what you did to the other men down there. Last night you almost ripped my head off. Why should I take your word for anything?"

"Because I'm all you got out here." I stood in front of her, my figure towering over her 5'4 frame. "You might have your sister, but she's useless out here and if you think you can trust Bill Compton, you're severely mistaken. I brought you here for a reason and I won't let anything happen to you in the meantime."

"Why can't I trust Bill?" She asked but I remained silent. There was another time for that discussion.

"Just be ready for whatever happens tomorrow. It's imperative that we find Godric."

"Because he's your maker?" She asked quietly, catching me off guard.

I contemplated keeping this from her too but I had a gut feeling I didn't have to. Not from her. "Yes." I replied shortly.

"We'll find him, Eric." She said, her tone softer.

I believed her. It was difficult for me to take anyone's word but Pam's yet she was always truthful. Everything from her actions to the words she spoke were done from pure passion. No formalities or fear of consequences. She was strong enough to say what was on her mind and that's the kind of person I could trust.

I looked at the clock by her nightstand. "It's almost dawn. You should get some sleep too. It'll be a long day."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Melanie:**_

"Okay, here's what's going to happen: I will infiltrate the Fellowship of the Sun." Sookie stated, standing in front of the Texas vampires and us.

"Absolutely not." Bill interrupted her.

Eric growled. "Let her speak."

"Bill glamoured the kidnapper, nobody knows who I am. I'll pretend to join the church, and check out all of their thoughts. "

"You're not going anywhere, Sookie." I stood up, walking in front of her. "It's too dangerous. If something goes wrong, none of them are going to be able to help you in the daytime."

"It'll only take a little while." She offered. "Really, it's simple."

"Absolutely not. What if they recognize you?" Bill argued. "Melanie's right. It's too dangerous."

"Humans." One of the other vampires scoffed.

"We'll both go in. Sookie can be a bride. I'll be her maid of honor and we're checking out churches for the wedding. With both of us there, we'll get more out of them." I finally spoke up again.

Sookie shook her head. "No, no way Mel. I'm not letting you -"

"LET'S get one thing straight." I raised my voice quieting all of them. "Mom and dad died a long time ago. I don't need you to 'Let" me do anything. This is what we're doing." I said firmly.

I looked at Eric who had his eyes locked on mine. I could see the wheels turning in his head over the idea until he finally spoke. "The decision is made."

"A few words." Bill seethed at Eric and the two of them walked off.

Isabelle, one of the vampires came up to Sookie, asking about her human - vampire relationship. They discussed about her interest in it as well with the human she was seeing. I looked over at Bill and Eric having some sort of heated debate before the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and the sound of someone sniffing me.

Quickly turning around, I was met face to face with Stan who was just sniffing my hair and neck.

"These ones smell like...like candy. Pure sugar." He stepped closer to me, sniffing my neck and I took a step back from him. His size easily capable of overpowering mine.

Eric growled coming from behind me and slamming the man against the wall by the neck. "Melanie, is mine. Understood?" He hissed after they all dropped their fangs.

"Understood." Stan said, getting out of Eric's grip and brushing himself off.

Bill and Sookie shared a look before returning their gazes to me. I wanted to say something. Let him know I was nobody's property but this wasn't the time or the place. Besides, if it kept that creep off our backs then so be it.

 **OOO**

"Something told me you'd be down here."

Eric's coarse voice sounded from behind me as I sat on one of the bar stools. It wasn't a secret that my nerves about the following day were getting to me. I knew I hung around dangerous beings but nothing was more dangerous than a fanatic believer. If they even suspected anything was fishy, who knows what they would do to us.

"Nervous?"

He asked, taking a seat next to me. The bartender behind the bar giving him her best seductive smile before walking up to him.

"Can I get you anything to drink, handsome?

"No thanks, I already ate." He waved her off before turning her attention towards me again.

" _What is it with men and blondes? All the fucking hot ones are always chasing after them. Even fangers. The shit I would do to him. Mm mm mmm. Shame."_

"Can you blame me?" I asked him, ignoring her and her dirty looks.

"I wouldn't get you involved if I knew any other way." He sighed watching as I finished off my whiskey.

"Yeah. I know this is important to you." You lifted your finger for a third refill.

He stared down at the counter, deep in thought for a few minutes. His eyes more bloodshot than usual, let me know just how much stress he had been under. "I don't know how they captured him. He's over twice my age and the strongest of our kind. No human should have been able to get near him."

I took a long pull from my cup before shrugging my shoulders. "What if he went willing?"

Eric's eyes grew dark as he turned his head towards me. "What for?"

"Common ground?" I replied. "I don't know. If he's as strong as you say, there is no way they would've just been able to take him. Not without a trail of bodies left behind."

"You've clearly had too much to drink." He stood, pulling out his wallet to drop a couple of bills on the counter. "I'll walk you to your room. I need you ready for tomorrow."

"I guess you're right." I grabbed onto his arm as I jumped off the stool.

"Oh, and I'm not your's by the way." I stated as we stepped out of the elevator, his firm muscles holding me by my waist as he walked me to the door. "You don't have a right to claim me."

"Get this straight." He lowered his face to mine. "If I want to claim you, there's nothing anyone here can do to stop me, but I only said that to get that peice of shit away from you."

I laughed, half-drunkenly, at his intimidating tone, leaning back against the door for balance. "You smell like the ocean." I smiled. "None of the vampires I've met smell like anything. But you - you smell like the beach on a warm summer night."

He looked down at me surprised at the observation before unlocking the door with the key card he had for some reason.

"In my human life, I was a viking. I loved the water. I still remember the feel of the sun on my skin after being in the salty ocean all day." He reminisced as he walked me in.

"Do you have a lot of memories from back then?" I asked, walking over to the bed. "You've been around for so long."

I slipped off my shoes and crawled up onto the mattress curling on my side against the cool sheets. Patting the bed next to me, I invited him to sit and he did, laying on his back.

"I have." He answered. "But there are things you don't forget. My parents were killed when I was about your age. Then I went to war and after a grueling battle I was as good as dead. That's when Godric found me. There's a special bond between a vampire and his maker. Stronger than any relationship humans can have. We have always been able to feel each other. Which is why this worries me."

* * *

 _ **Eric:**_

I waited with Isabelle on the cliff overlooking the church. She had sent her human with them so she was anxious as well. He posed as the husband while the two got a better look at the church. I couldn't say I trusted him but with the amount of time she said they'd been together, I took her word for it. Stan on the other hand insisted this was a mistake and they should all go in and rip all of them to shreds. I wasn't entirely against the idea but so far we hadn't heard anything from anyone of them.

I had called in a favor to keep Bill busy. If anything was to happen, Bill would sense Sookie and go in to destroy the whole thing. I couldn't let anything jeopardize finding Godric.

"They've been in there a long time. Shouldn't you be worried?"

"There's no alarms yet." She answered her sight not leaving the guards patrolling the area. "I felt something earlier, but it passed. "It's okay now."

"Tell me what it is you find so fulfilling about human companionship." I asked.

I couldn't explain the feelings I had been having for the younger Stackhouse. From the moment she had walked into my bar months ago her image haunted my mind. She hated the person I am but she still talked to me like a person. There was no fear, no ass kissing. I found myself enjoying my time with her more so than even the dirty dreams I'd look forward to.

"They feel a lot more strongly than we do." She stated. "Everything is more urgent, exciting. Maybe because they're lives are so temporary."

"Yes. Though they certainly don't keep well. Don't you find the prospect of them becoming sickly, crippled somewhat uh - repulsive?"

"No." She chuckled. "I find it curious. Like a science project. How do you explain your interest in Melanie when that's how you picture human-vampire relationships?"

"I have no interest in Melanie." I corrected. Unsure of how true my statement was. "My only interest is finding Godric."

She gave a knowing look but it was interrupted by a shiver down her spine. "It's Hugo. Something's wrong."

If something had happened, why couldn't I feel Melanie?

It wasn't hard to get inside, just a few dead bodies to clear the way but once we were in, i could feel Godric's presence. I could feel him calling me. Following the gravitational pull to my maker, I ended down in the basement where a cage was holding all of them.

Godric was standing over a large man's dead body. Sookie was fine, buttoning her dress but my eyes caught Melanie's body lying unconscious on the ground.

"What happened?!" I demanded to know as I ran to her, checking for a pulse. Her head had started to bruise into something nasty.

"She heard them before I could." Sookie explained. "When they tried to lead us down here they knocked her out. She hasn't come too in hours."

I could feel the anger boiling inside of me but then I remembered the point of this plan.

"Godric." I kneeled before him, lowering my head.

"You were a fool to send humans looking for me." He voiced.

"I had no other choice. These savages, they seek to destroy you."

"I know what they have planned." He motioned to Isabelle's human laying beat on the ground. "This one betrayed you."

"He's with the Fellowship." Sookie added. "They set a trap for us."

Ignoring their comments, I looked back at Godric. "How long since you've fed?"

He shook his head. "I require very little blood anymore."

The alarms began to sound and lights flashed before he looked at me again. "Save the humans. Go on."

"I'm not leaving your side until you are -"

"I can take care of myself." He reminded. "Spill no blood."

"Eric, grab Mel. We have to go!" Sookie stood by her sister.

I lifted her up, as gently as possible to not shake her head. It explained why I hadn't felt her in all this time. If it weren't for Godric's commands, I'd kill every last one of them.

We made it to the top of the stairs to see the church being evacuated. Armed men were all over the place guarding the women and children.

"Why didn't you bring Bill with you." Sookie asked as she followed behind.

"His attachment to you is irrational. It clouds his judgement. He would've killed every child in this church just to save you."

"Why haven't you?" She questioned. "With your obvious attachment to my sister."

"I'm following Godric's orders to get you out. That's it."

She paused for a moment. "He's your maker isn't he."

"Don't use words you don't understand." I said as I carefully placed Melanie on the ground.

I got through the first few men guarding the front door but the there were more about to enter from outside.

"Through the sanctuary." Sookie yelled as she kneeled down trying to wake Melanie again.

I scooped her up and followed Sookie's lead through the church to the sanctuary. Clothes and blankets littered the pews from everyone being evacuated.

"There should be an exit back there." She directed before we heard chuckling.

"There are several exists actually." Steve Newlin came out from the front. "For you, the easiest one takes you straight to hell."

The doors behind us and two on our sides all opened and his minions surrounded us, armed with silver and wooden stakes. I didn't take kindly to threats but with Melanie in my arms, I had to think carefully about how to proceed.

"Let us leave!" Sookie begged. "Save yourselves. No one has to die!"

"The war has begun, you evil whore of Satan." He threw his arms out. "You vampires cast the first stone by killing my family. The lines have been drawn. You're either with us, or against us. We are prepared for armageddon."

"The vampire you're holding prisoner got away! He's a sheriff. He's bound to send for help."

"I'm not concerned with Godric. Any vampire will do for our grand celebration and we got one right here." He pointed at me.

Sookie stared up at me, unsure of what to say next. Looking at the woman in my arms, I set her down carefully and Sookie kneeled to rest her sister's head on her lap.

"I'll be fine." I assured her before stepping forward.

"Brothers and sisters." Newlin continued, a wide smile on his face. "There will be a holy bonfire at dawn."

A man wrapped silver around my neck, taking me to the concrete slab table in the center before chaining me down by my wrists. Newlin looked down at me, a heinous smirk on his face as I groaned at the burning. Two men held Sookie back while he started another speech.

"You see? Just as our lord and savior was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, a few ounces of silver can betray a child of satan to the world!"

"That doesn't make any sense!" Sookie yelled. "How can you people listen to him."

"I - I offer myself in exchange for Godric's freedom." I managed to croak out. "And the girls' as well."

"That's noble, but they're just as culpable as you are. They are traitors to their race." He turned his gaze to his people. "The human race! She hardly deserves mercy. Maybe we should tie one to you, so you can meet the sun together. Bet this marshmallow would roast up nicely." He looked at Sookie.

I started to sense Melanie again, painfully turning my head to see her starting to stir. Her eyes opened and she took a look around the room before she looked at me. Panic crossed her face as she saw my chains.

"Eric!" Her yell echoed in the hollow church as she ran over to me. Her hands making quick work of the silver around my neck and wrists.

"You whore!" Newlin grabbed her waist but she quickly turned shoving him hard down the steps, landing in front of Sookie.

His humans stepped up to grab her but the back doors opened and Bill came in. "Sookie!" He yelled before Newlin held a gun to her head.

"One more step vampire, and the girl dies!"

"You shoot her, and everyone in here dies." He promised.

Melanie helped me off the table, letting me rest behind it's protection. Her soft fingers caressed my cheek as my wounds started to heal themselves.

"Are you okay?" She whispered.

"I should never have gotten you in here." I admitted, brushing her hair back behind her ear.

We heard Jason's voice and Newlin scream out before two guys flew past us. Melanie peaked from the side of the slab, and saw Bill had gotten to Sookie, as well as Jason holding a paintball gun by the side doors. Newlin held his hand before Jason fired again, shooting him in the forehead with green paint.

I stood, rushing over to Newlin and pinning him down on the steps by his throat. My fangs had dropped with my anger as I squeezed him.

"Eric!" Sookie screamed. "Do not kill him."

"Kill him! Kill that motherfucker!" Jason yelled.

I looked up to see Melanie, not saying a word, as she watched the look on Newlin's face. She knew he deserved to die but this was about what I wanted.

"Go ahead!" Newlin voiced. "Go ahead and murder us before God. We are willing to die."

A loud rumbling was heard from each of the exits before all the doors were pushed open and Stan came in with the rest of the Dallas vampires.

"Steve Newlin!" He said. "You've pushed us too far! You expect us to sit on our thumbs while you round up your men to come lynch us? We'll kill you first. Same way we did your father."

"Murderer!" Steve screamed before I closed my hand tighter around his throat.

"Destroy them." Stan commanded and his men closed in on Newlin's army. "All of them!"

The vampires spread out, grabbing men at random and preparing to clench down. Bill grabbed Sookie to run and though she tried to get Melanie, Melanie pulled her arm back and walked to my side. "I'm not leaving without him!"

Letting go of Newlin, I grabbed Melanie by her waist, holding her against me so that the others would not confuse her as dinner.

"ENOUGH!" A loud voice filled the church. We all looked up to see Godric looking down at us over the balcony. "You came for me, I assume. These people have not harmed me. You see, we can coexist. Mr. Newlin. I do not wish to create bloodshed when it's not called for. Help me set an example. If we leave you in peace, will you do the same?"

"I will not negotiate with subhumans!" He seethed. He kneeled before me again and I moved Melanie behind me. "Kill me. Do it! Jesus will protect me."

"I'm actually older than your Jesus." Godric retorted. "I wish I could've known him but I missed it."

Godric flew down, moving past everyone to grab Newlin by his collar, holding him up. "Good people, who of you is willing to die for this man's madness?"

The crowd looked amongst themselves but nobody spoke up.

"That's what I thought. Stand down everyone." He commanded his vampires. "People, go home. It's over now."

Everyone cleared out. There was no need to be told twice. Once they saw what we were capable of, no training could prepare them for the real deal. Newlin begged for them not to leave but the church soon emptied. Godric dropped him to the ground.

"I daresay my faith in humankind is stronger than yours. Come."

He walked past Newlin to lead us all out. Stan stepped in front of him. "Sir, after all these humans have done -"

"I said come." Godric repeated firmly.

 **OOO**

We all met back at Godrics. He sat on his chair as everyone had lined up to greet him. I watched as Melanie's brother spoke to him before coming around the corner where I cut him off.

"Hail the conquering hero."

"Aw, no. I'm no hero." The idiot replied, not catching my tone.

"No, you are in this town.' I stepped closer. "But in my area, I know you well as a buyer and user of vampire blood. And that's a very grave offense."

"Yeah, listen." He stuttered, his heartbeat racing. "I don't do that anymore."

"All things considered however, " I ignored him. "We'll call it even. But you won't be doing it again."

"No. no -"

"Good boy." I let him by. "Run along."

Jason ran past me, and I moved through the crowd to find Sookie talking to Bill. I don't know how he'd managed to get to that church I figured Lorena would keep him busy for quite some time, but he ended up being a welcome distraction.

"I heard my name. Hope you were speaking well of me."

"Why should I?" Sookie questioned. "You let us walk into a trap."

"I regret that." I answered calmly, looking between the two. "If I had known it was a possibility -"

"You did know, but because it was Godric, You'd risk anything."

"The bond between a vampire and his maker is stronger than you can imagine. Maybe one day' you'll find out." Bill shot me a deadly look but I ignored him. "Where's Melanie?"

"Kitchen" She nodded, "Why?"

Leaving her and Bill, I walked to the kitchen to find her staring aimlessly out of the corner of her forehead more purple than before. Despite everything I knew about her, she looked so small. So vulnerable.

"How's your head?" I asked, coming up behind her.

"You should see the other guy" She half-smiled while running her fingers through her long hair, shrugging her shoulders. "It's fine. I just feel like a total ass. I saw it coming."

"It's not your fault." I reminded her. "It's mine. I was so blinded by my need to get Godric out, I hadn't even senses your fear and then I couldn't sense you at all. I'm sorry."

"I'm glad he's okay." She looked over at Godric whose eyes wandered to us.

"Yes. Me too. And thank you, for saving my life in there as well."

"I assume Lafayette's debt has been paid off?" Her tone getting serious.

"It is." I nodded.

Isabelle walked in with her human, kicking him to the ground before Godric. He asked her if she loved him and despite everything he had caused, he let them go. Stan of course opposed but Godric stood by his word. I followed his orders and made sure they left the compound unharmed before returning to him.

"Hugo's been dispatched. I told him not to stop driving until he reaches the mexican border. I've also arranged for an AB negative human for you." I kneeled beside him. "Extremely rare."

"Thank you." He offered a weak smile. "I'm not hungry."

"You have to eat eventually. I doubt the fellowship had anything to offer." When he remained silent, I continued. "Why didn't you come when I first came for you?"

"They didn't treat me badly." He shook his head. "You'd be shocked at how ordinary most of them are."

"They do nothing but fan the flames of hatred for us" I whispered through clenched teeth.

"Let's be honest. We are frightening. After thousands of years, we haven't evolved. We've only grown more brutal, more predatory. I don't see the danger in treating humans as equals. The Fellowship of the Sun arose because we never did so."

Fuck. Was Melanie right in her drunken slurs last night?

"Is that why you wouldn't fight when they took you?"

"I could've killed every last one of them within minutes. And what would that have proven?"

We heard a commotion in the kitchen and I felt Melanie's anger deep inside. Godric and I moved to see what was happening when we saw her hitting Lorena in the head with a fireplace poker, knocking her off of her sister.

"Touch her again and I will kill you." She seethed as Sookie held her throat, catching her breath.

Lorena dropped her fangs and charged towards her when Godric grabbed her by her throat. "Retract your fangs. Now."

Sookie curled into Bill's arms as he held her while Melanie held her position, breathing heavily with adrenaline pumping her sweet smelling blood. Still ready for a fight. It was quite the sight. As little as she was fearlessly taking on a vampire of Lorena's age. It stirred something in me. I moved next to her and Godric, lowering her hands as they clenched the poker.

"I neither know, nor care who you are but in this area, and certainly in this nest, I am the authority. Do you understand?"

Lorena nodded. "Yes, sheriff."

He released her and turned to look at Melanie. "This woman has proven herself to be courageous and loyal friend to our kind. And yet you treat her sister like a child does a dragonfly, pulling off wings for sport, then get angry when she comes to her aid. No wonder they hate us."

"She provoked me." Lorena defended.

"And you provoked me." He responded, close to losing his patience. "You disrupted the peace in my own home. I could snap you like a twig. Yet I haven't." He turned towards Bill. "You seem to know her?"

"Yes, sheriff."

"Escort her from the nest."

Bill nodded, grabbing Lorena's arm to pull her away before Godric turned towards Melanie. I approached to stand behind her. "You. You're a brave one. You risked your life for mine, my child's, and your sisters. For that I am eternally grateful. I can see why my son is taken with you."

Melanie smiled between the two of us. "I can see where he get's his charm. It's really a pleasure meeting you. I'm sorry it had to be under these circumstances."

"I am too, my child. If you'll excuse me."

We both nodded and watched as he walked away. "You were right." I admitted. "He was after peace all along."

"When you live as long as you and Godric have. Seen as much death and bloodshed as you have. You must be pretty sick of it." She nodded, looking over my shoulder at Jason. "I'll be right back."

Her words echoed in my head as she walked away from me. Godric truly wanted a peace. I had let my years make me jaded towards the countless deaths I had encountered. It had made me harder. Careless for any other being. He on the other hand had become empathetic towards it.

"Excuse me everyone. If I could have your attention." We turned to see a human in the main room. I recognized his face from the church. "My name is Luke McDonald. I'm a member of the Fellowship of the Son and I have a message for you all from Reverend Steve Newlin."

The man unzipped his jacket to show a bomb strapped to his chest wrapped all over in silver chains and wooden bullets. He quickly hit the button and I covered Sookie, who was nearest me, as fast as I could. The pain of silver going inside of me was unmeasurable but my panic for Melanie's safety was greater.

"Melanie!"


	5. Chapter 5

_**Melanie:**_

My ears were ringing as I opened my eyes. A heavy cloud hung over the room from the explosion. The sound of screams and groaning filled the place. I tried to lift myself up but a heavy weight prevented me.

"Jason! Melanie!" Sookie's distant voice echoed.

"Sook?" Jason called out. "Where's Mel?"

I shifted in a panic only for the weight to move off of me. It was Godric. He had used his body to shield mine. I heard the notion of a groan before Eric's face came into view.

"Melanie." He ran his fingers through my hair, brushing it aside as he assessed me for damages.

"I covered her with my body." Godric stood, his body healing quicker than the other's. "She's only stunned."

He looked down at me again, relief written across his face before he pulled me into his arms hugging me tightly against his chest. His body against mine made me feel safe - like we'd be okay despite all the chaos around us.

"Melanie!" Sookie and Jason ran over. Eric let me go, letting Jason help me up while he went to check the bodies.

"What happened?" I leaned into my brother.

Blood and bodies were scattered everywhere. It was amazing we got out unharmed but most were not so lucky.

"Luke." Jason mumbled. "He was determined to make a name for himself at the fellowship. Guess this is what it took."

"Ugh, I can't believe you went there! What were you thinking?" Sookie shook her head in disgust.

"Everyone listen up." Godric called from the center of the room. "They may come back. Go to the Hotel Camilla. They've been alerted, security is in place."

Everyone stood to leave, those who had healed, helping the others. Bill came back to us, taking Sookie's hand.

"Let's go." He ordered, leading the way.

"You guys go on. I'll be right there."

Jason nodded reluctantly and joined Sookie and Bill. I stood by as the room cleared out, watching the sheer disappointment in Godric's face as he looked over the damage. This isn't what he wanted. What he fought for. Eric stepped forward as well, taking note in his maker's hurt look. He hoped to see a sliver of regret for letting those human's live but he didn't.

We arrived back at the hotel where everyone got back to their rooms. Eric walked me to mine but after the night we'd had, he needed to be with his maker. It was fine with me. After a hot soak, all I wanted to do was forget Dallas all together.

"Mel, you awake?" Sookie knocked on the door. "I'm going to Jason's room if you want to come."

"I'll be right there Sook."

I pulled on a tank top and cotton shorts before brushing my hair and letting it down to air dry. I could see little cuts and marks down my body from random shrapnel but I was thankful that was the extent of it.

Wandering down the hall, I opened Jason's door and crawled into bed, sitting next to him and Sook. The comfort reminded me of when mama used to tuck us in at night only for us to wake back up to play just like this. We refused to be apart. It was a shame how much we'd grown and, in a way, separated since then.

"How could you join them?" I finally asked Jason.

He shrugged his shoulders. "They made me feel like I was worth something."

"You were a star in Bon Temps." Sookie shook her head. "I was the throw away. Everyone always thought you hung the moon."

"No. That ain't true. They liked my athletics, and my good looks, my sex abilities, but - they don't like me for me. Steve and Sarah. They acted like they did, before they tried to kill me." He stared blankly at the pillow as he relived that week. "They stopped my mind from going around and around, thinking about other stuff."

"Didn't you think for one moment what Gran would say?" Sookie asked him.

"Don't." He turned around, letting his feet hang off the bed. "Don't talk about Gran. I can't."

"Why?" I looked at him, rubbing his back gently.

"Because I don't- I don't want to feel anything."

"But we have to talk about her."I turned his face towards us. "We can't stop remembering her or loving her because it hurts to much. She'd never stop loving us, would she?"

"No" he whispered softly.

"We'll keep her alive in our hearts." Sookie added. "And our prayers. And that's the way it's gotta be."

"And mama and daddy?" He turned back around.

"That's right." She nodded, taking his hand. "Mama and daddy and gran."

His eyes watered as he looked between us. "Our whole family is gone. Everybody who counts. We're all alone. We're all that's left."

"So we have to grow up." I said. "We gotta stick together and we gotta be good to each other. Or we're letting them all down."

"I love you." He looked at the both of us, pulling us against him in a hug.

 **OOO**

"Do you have any fucking idea the PR mess you've made?" The official looking blonde woman cursed. "And who fucking has to clean that shit up? Me! Not you. Me! I should drain every one of you bastards."

Sitting back next to Sookie, I watched as everyone held their tongues. She must of been important if she had the ability to speak to them that way. The two armed men behind her were there to make sure she could. I felt Eric's eyes burning into me. He had no interest her lecture or her empty threats. He was just relieved his maker was safe. Who knew the type of shit they discussed last night.

"Stan went after the church on his own." Eric defended. "None of us knew anything about it."

"Oh really? Because everyone who met Stan within the last 300 years knew he had a kink about slaughtering humans. But you, his nest mates, his sheriff - had no clue."

"And how were we supposed to know that this time he meant it?" Isabelle spoke out.

"Not my problem. Yours." The blonde woman looked at Godric.

"Don't talk to him that way." Eric's monotone threat making her stare daggers at him.

"Don't talk to me that way." She corrected."Let's get to the point. How did they abduct you?"

"They would've taken one of us sooner or later. I offered myself." He answered calmly.

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"They wanted you to meet the sun and you were willing?" She asked, amazed by what she was hearing.

"What do you think?"

"I think you're out of your mind." She shook her head. "And then I hear about a traitor."

"Irrelevant." Godric stopped her. "Only a rumor. I take full responsibility."

She scoffed. "Oh I bet you will."

"You cold bitch." I muttered.

"Melanie!" Bill scolded quietly.

"Listen." She looked my way. "This is a national vampire disaster and nobody at the top has sympathy for any of you." She looked at Godric again. "Sheriff. You fucked up. You're fired."

"I agree. Of course. Isabelle should take over. She had no part in my disgrace."

"Godric." Isabelle looked shocked. "Fight back!"

"What are you saying!" Eric lashed out. "She's a bureaucrat, you don't have to take shit from her! You wanna lose your area?"

"Hey, I'm on TV." Nan smiled. "Try me."

"It's my fault." Isabelle reasoned. "I should have contained Stan the moment Godric went missing."

"Isabelle." Godric interrupted. "I remove myself from all positions of authority."

Eric looked like he'd been shot in the chest. His eyes widened hearing those words come from Godric who had worked so hard to get to where he was. I placed a hand on his thigh, giving it a friendly squeeze to distract him from thought but it was of no use.

"Works for me." Nan nodded.

Godric didn't deserve to be treated this way. Not after everything he had done. He had tried for peace. For an understanding between vampires and humans. He wasn't going to be treated like shit. I sat up straight but Bill pulled my arm.

"No no no" He whispered.

I pulled away from him, looking straight at her. "Ms. Flanagan, Godric went in that church hoping to accomplish everything your 'Authority' had been striving for since y'all came out of the coffins. He went in with the intention of creating peace and letting them see that you are not all monsters. He saved my sister from getting raped and probably killed. He also rescued countless humans and vampires too when war almost broke out."

"If you think this is a PR nightmare now, it could've been a hundred times worse. You should be thanking him." Sookie added.

"For getting kidnapped? For attracting a suicide bomber? For piss-poor judgement? I think not."

I stood abruptly,"Then thank him for letting you live after being a disrespectful cunt."

The two guards behind her, pointed their guns at my chest and Eric jolted up to kill them, only to be stopped by everyone else. Bill and Isabelle held him back while he stared down at Nan, the promise of true death lying behind them.

"Eric." Godric called, calming the tall viking back down to his seat.

Nan looked at me with a raised eyebrow, her lips curved into an amused smirk, as we all sat back down.

"So tell me about the bombing." She started again.

* * *

 _ **Eric:**_

Nan and her men cleared the room, calling Godric to her suite to sign off his rights to his position. I so badly wanted wanted to rip her head off but Godric hadn't cared. He put up no fight. Merely accepted her treating him in that way. This wasn't the Godric I knew. This was only a shadow.

He stood to leave and I stopped him. "No"

"Look into my heart." He asked.

"Just listen to me."

"There's nothing to say."

"There is." I tried.

Godric sighed, looking at me deeper than he'd ever done before. "On the roof." He said before walking past me out of the room.

Bill tapped my shoulder as my head reeled from what he could have meant.

"We have a score to settle." He fumed.

"Not now." I looked down at him.

"Yes now." His fist flew full speed at me, splitting my lip. "Have I made my point?"

I knew I could've kicked his ass. It didn't take much to push me these days but I couldn't stop my mind from wondering why he'd given up like that.

Barely looking at Bill, I shrugged. "It's over. She's gone. Now get out of the way."

Just like he had said, he'd been on the roof overlooking the city. With dawn coming soon, reality had set in. Godric had wanted to die. He was going to meet the sun with or without the help of the fellowship. I felt a pain in my chest where my heart used to beat.

"2000 years is enough." He affirmed.

"I can't accept that." I argued. "It's insanity!"

"Our existence is insanity." He turned to me. "We don't belong here."

"But we are here!"

"It's not right. We're not right."

"You taught me there is no right and wrong only survival or death." I pointed out.

"I told a lie as it turns out."

"I will keep you alive by force!" I yelled, unable to accept it.

"Even if you could, why would you be so cruel?"

He looked at me then over my shoulder and I turned to see Melanie, standing by the stairs.

Looking back at him, I begged. "Godric, don't do it."

"There are centuries of faith and love between us. Those won't go away." He offered.

I lowered my head. Unable to stop the tears from falling as I sobbed, falling to my knees against him. "Please, please." I whispered but to no avail. "Please Godric."

"You will be okay, Eric." He placed a hand over my head. "My time has come but you have much more to live for. That girl behind you, with the spirit of a warrior, trust in her. I see how you look at her. Learn to love and be loved, my child, and you will not end up like me."

"I won't let you die alone." I shook my head.

"Yes you will." He brushed my hair back. "As your maker, I command you."

At his command, I stood backing away slowly to the stairs. Melanie took my hand, her free hand on my cheek as she wiped a bloody tear. "I'll stay with him." She whispered. "As long as it takes."

I watched as she walked over to him before I headed back down. What life was this that my maker couldn't take being here a second longer. What made the rest of us stay? I headed back to my room, staring at the clock knowing that in the next few minutes, I would no longer have a maker. My companion for the last millennium would no longer exist.

Soft knocking on my door caused me to break down again. I knew that was Melanie telling me the deed was done. I opened it and moved aside to let her in as I wiped the tears from my face. She walked to the couch, sitting patiently while I regained my composure.

"He died happy, Eric."

"Don't." I shook my head.

She stood, placing her hand on my bare back. "Two thousand years is a long time to be alive. He chose to die how he wanted. Everyone has a right to choose."

"What about me?" I shouted as I faced her, causing her to jump slightly. "What am I supposed to do without him?"

"Look out for yourself like you have been." She lifted her shoulders into a shrug. "But you won't have to go through this alone."

I stood in front of her, my hands cupping her face as they wiped the dry trail of tears from her cheeks. She had felt for him too. If there was one person who could have been there for him, I'm glad it was her. She placed her hand on the back of my neck, pulling my head down until our lips met in a kiss and the whole world fell away. It was slow and comforting in a way words would never be.

My hand rested below her ear, my thumb caressing her cheek as our breaths mingled. Her tongue gently brushing mine as she ran her fingers down my spine, pulling me closer against her until there was no space left between us. I could feel her heart beating strong enough for the both of us. She was scared, I could feel it, but her kisses grew more hungry, more full of need as her fingers worked on the button of my pants, pushing them off of me.

My hands slide down her body, pulling her tank top up over her head in one quick swoop. She reached back, unhooking her bra before letting it fall down her arms. Her breasts were beautiful, in perfect proportion to her toned body. I slide my hands around her waist, pushing her shorts off of her as I lifted her up and laid her back on the bed climbing over to settle between her legs.

Lowering my head, I kissed her neck, the touch of my lips causing a shallow moan to release from her mouth. The smell of her blood pumping through her veins was intoxicating. My fangs dropped and I had to pull away. She was the one person I could see myself losing control over. She gasped when she looked up at me, but instead of running, just reached over and touched them before moving her hair away from her neck.

"I want you." She whispered, looking up at me. "I want you for all that you are."

"Melanie - I can't. I don't want to hurt you."

"Than make it feel good." She breathed, closing her eyes as she leaned her head back.

She'd never been with vampire before nor had she been bitten. She'd never expressed the interest of wanting to yet here she was offering herself to me, totally and completely. I kissed her lips again, savoring in her sweetness before brushing my lips down to her neck. I hesitated but she smelled too good not to take a bite of.

As my fangs sunk in, I guided myself inside her hot core inch by inch until she was filled to the hilt. Her tight center adjusting to me while I fed. She moaned at the different sensations taking place in her body. Her blood tasted just how she smelled - like sunshine and sugar. It was the sweetest thing I'd ever tasted. Her nails dug into my back as she started moving her hips under mine. I lifted one of her legs over my waist as I joined in her motion, rocking myself in and out of her.

It was hard to stop feeding from her but I had to pull my fangs out. Her blood was addicting, maybe more so than a vampire's, but her heartbeat had started to slow and that was no good. As I pushed deeper inside of her, I pricked my finger and used my blood to heal her puncture wounds. She smiled up at me, with heavy glazed eyes before flipping us over so that she was on top. Her small figure bounced on my aching member, stroking and milking me while she held onto the headboard for support. While I met her rhythm thrust for thrust, my hands explored her body as it glistened so beautifully in sweat. In my thousand years, I hadn't seen anything as fascinating.

Her blonde hair glowing almost halo-like under the gleam of the dim lights as her body arched to take me in fully. Her breathing becoming more labored as her moans echoed across the room. I quickened my pace underneath her, bringing her closer and closer to orgasm until it finally hit her. Wave after wave made her tighten around my swollen member until I couldn't control myself any further and joined her.

She slowly slid off of me before laying on her back. We both stared up at the ceiling as we caught our breaths. I turned on my side, tucking my arm under my pillow, draping my other arm around her waist.

"You sure know how to cheer someone up." I smiled.

"Well, I do the best with what I'm given." She laughed, turning on her side to face me, her fingertips tracing the lines of my abs.

"But thank you." I watched her fingers. "For being with him when I couldn't."

"I wouldn't have sat back and watched you burn even if you'd tried." She shrugged, the movement causing her breast to jiggle.

"Why? After everything I've done with you, your sister, your friends? Why be this good to me?"

She lowered her gaze as she thought for a moment. "Because I know you're good. I know this cold hearted thing is an act - or maybe it isn't - maybe you've just become so tired of caring over the years that you would rather just not - but I know you still do. I know you care about people and doing the right thing. Otherwise, you would've killed Newlin when you had him in your hands. There's something in you that still fights for your humanity, and that's why you deserve someone good to you."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Melanie:**_

On the way into Bon Temp, an eery feeling came over us. Something wasn't right. There was litter everywhere. The welcome sign had graffiti all over it. This wasn't how we'd left it. The three of us looked out the window to see a guy smashing his head on a wooden post then woman chasing a man yelling obscenities. The vehicle came to a screeching halt as the windshield was smashed in by two bodies.

"They just ran in front of me." The panicked driver told us before we all hopped out the car.

A young couple laughed as they got up, grabbing each other and making out while their cuts oozed blood. Sookie and I stood, stunned by their erratic behavior while Jason stepped in front of us."

"Hey!" I called out. "Ya'll okay?"

The couple turned around and their eyes were black. Not just the pupil, no the entire eye. I gasped as we started backing away.

"Hey, what the hell's wrong with your eyes?" Jason asked, utterly creeped out.

"Let's go." One of them said to the other.

"Wait, where you going?" He asked again.

"We gotta find Sam!" The woman removed her suede vest, leaving only a bathing suit top on.

The three of us looked at each other. They were looking for Sam? Merlotte? What the fuck happened here?

The car brought us to Bill's house and the driver unloaded his coffin in the foyer while Jason called the sheriff's office to let them know about the couple they had hit. Sookie told him to ask what was going on around town but they got the machine. It was all so bizzare.

I walked over to the window, looking out at the street as people continued to act crazy, destroying everything in their path. Bill stepped out of his coffin and Sookie ran over to him.

"Bill, there's something serious wrong on Bon Temps. I can feel it."

"Well, if it ain't the vamper and his vamper lover." Maxine Fortenberry came out from one of the doorways on the second floor. She leaned against the railing, looking down at us with those same black eyes.

"Oh-ho-ho, there's those fucking eyes again." Jason looked up at her as he moved closer to me.

Maxine cackled before we heard Hoyt's voice calling her back.

"Oh thank god you're home!" Jessica cried out as she came from the room. "She's gone like totally batshit."

"What the devil…?" Bill asked watching Maxine try to run down the stairs before Hoyt stopped her.

"I had nothing to do with it! I swear!" Jess defended throwing her arms out.

"At first I thought maybe it was just a bad reaction to to her new diet pills." Hoyt came down the stairs, blocking his mother's way. "But then we saw that practically the whole town got these eyes."

"How long has she been like this?" Bill asked.

"Since last night." Jessica answered coming down after then.

"And I will be for as long as it takes for him to get his offering." Maxine said in her trance.

Jason and I looked at eachother confused.

"That sounds fucking fucked-up." Jason shook his head, looking at Bill.

"She's been going on about Sam Merlotte and how they're going to offer him to God." Hoyt clarified.

"Why don't you offer yourself up to me, Jason Stackhouse." Maxine approached him, putting a hand around his neck. "You dirty little monkey!"

She pulled him in for a kiss but I pulled her away, "Woah woah woah, Mrs. Fortenberry, you don't wanna do that -."

She tried to push past me but Bill and Hoyt pulled her away and set her up with the Wii. It was the most focused she'd been since we got home and it finally gave us a chance to see what was going on. Apparently, God was coming and everyone was waiting at Merlotte's to catch Sam so they could take him to this woman, Maryann's house which was our gran's house. All of it had something to do with the creature that scratched Sookie. Jason being the hero that he was, decided to go to Merlotte and find out why.

Bill, Sookie, and I pulled to a stop at Gran's. Right in the front yard was a giant sculpture of twigs and rotten meats causing flies to swarm around it. We could see the inside from the missing front door. Candles were lit and everything looked dirty with more twigs all over the place. We followed Sookie's lead inside only to be met with screeching animal sounds and creepy music. This didn't look anything like how we'd left it.

I walked to our stairs to find all of our picture frames shattered along the steps. A picture of Gran, Sookie, and Tara almost completely destroyed.

"Tara?" Sookie called. "Tara!"

My phone ringing in my pocket made us all jump before I reached and answered it. "Lafayette, where is Tara?"

" _She's with me. I need to know when ya'll are gonna be back in town."_

"I'm here, in what used to be my living room."

" _Mel, you gon' have to get up out that house now!"_

"Is Tara okay?"

" _I ain't half as worried about her as I am about you up in that fucking house. Get out! Run."_

"Tara's with him" I hung up the phone. "We need to get out of here. Now."

Sookie grabbed Bill's arm and ran for the front door before being stopped by an unfamiliar woman.

"What are you doing in my house?" She asked, a creepy glare giving us the shivers.

"This is not your house." Sookie stood up to her.

The woman took a step forward causing Sookie to back away. "It is now."

"I strongly suggest you remove yourself immediately." Bill tried to assert himself.

"My, you found yourself quite the specimen. Though I daresay there's nothing stopping him from one day leaving you cold." She looked directly at Bill while talking to Sookie.

"You don't scare me." Sookie said before she was thrown against the wall, choked by the woman's strength.

Bill and I pushed her away. I grabbed Sookie to help her up while Bill dropped his fangs to bite her. The woman seemed to enjoy it as she held him against her before he started to choke as well.

"What'd you do to him!?" I yelled as we both held him up.

She laughed wildly at her own accomplishment as Bill started throwing up blood. Sookie stood in front of us while I helped him up only to have her face cupped by the woman.

"What are you?" She asked curiously.

Sookie placed her hand on the woman's face and she had a light push the woman away. While she gasped, we grabbed Bill and ran to the car. She could've easily chased us but she just continued to laugh. Asking Sookie what she was from the doorway.

I jumped in the driver's seat while Sookie sat in the back with Bill. She'd clearly poisoned him but as a vampire he would heal. Despite speeding down the street, I looked in my rearview to see Sookie staring at her hands the same way I had.

"Was that what you did to Eric?" She asked.

I nodded my head, taking a turn at the end of the dirt road. "Yeah."

"What are we?"

Bill groaned again and Sookie used his shirt to wipe the blood from his chin before sticking his head out the window for fresh air. Her blood made vampire blood react. No wonder Sookie had seized when Bill offered her blood after she was scratched. As curious as I was to find out what we were, I was more interested in what she was.

"Tara?" Sookie asked after seeing Tara strapped to a chair at Lafayette's. "What's happened to you?"

"Get me the fuck outta here, you stupid cunt."

She wasn't herself. Just like Maxine and everyone else, her eyes were pitch black and she went back to chanting something in a language none of us could understand. Lafayette kneeled down next to Tara.

"We're losing her, Sook."

Sookie placed her hands on Tara's shoulders, closing her eyes to take a look inside her mind. "It's all… dark." She said, waving me over.

I grabbed her hand and did the same, seeing nothingness inside. "It's just one big void."

"Stop trying to rape my brain!" Tara cussed again.

"I can't see or hear anything." Sookie explained.

"It's not her. It's… she's gone." I added, staring down at whatever had taken over Tara's body.

"Don't say that, Mel. She's in there. Just … try again."

"I know! But what am I supposed to do?" I asked them.

"Try together." Bill said. "You have to go further into her mind than you ever have before.

Sookie and I looked at each other before we nodded. Each placing a hand on Tara's shoulders before closing our eyes.

We caught glimpses of people, at a party? Maryann dancing to music. Then we were blocked out again.

Sookie shook her head. "There's something - something we can't cross. An abyss?"

"Then let me glamour her." Bill stepped forward.

"What?" Lettie Mae stepped forward defensively.

"Lettie Mae, sit your ass down and quit pretending you gave a shit." I moved her out of the way for Bill.

"I don't want to hurt her." Sookie looked up at Bill.

"It may help. If we leave her like this who knows what harm may come to her. Or us." He said looking around the room.

 **OOO**

When morning came, we were all exhausted. Bill had left to visit the queen, hopefully she had the answers to what we were dealing with. Tara was still throwing a fit talking about how she had to go get Eggs, whoever that was. I couldn't handle it anymore so Lafayette and I walked out onto his deck loaded with a shotgun each in case that devil woman showed up here. Sookie remained inside with Lettie Mea. Lord knows I couldn't be around that bitch. She'd been nothing but trouble since we were kids and I was sick of her holy-ier than thou act as if she ever gave a fuck about Tara.

"Jason, it's Mel. Give me a call when you get this. Let me know you're okay." I left my brother a voicemail as Lafayette stood guard by tree.

I put my gun on the table and took a sip of my bottle of whiskey before taking a seat. We hadn't heard from Jason all night and I was starting to freak out. It was just like him to go off and do his own thing without a phone call but in times like this it'd be nice to know he was okay. Unlike Sookie, I couldn't get a feel for him. I couldn't sense where he was.

"You know, for being 24, you drink more than anyone I know." Lafayette broke the silence.

I laughed, tracing my thumb around the neck of the bottle, wiping the condensation from it. "When your head is full of everyone else's thoughts, you tend to drink just to soften the sound a little."

"I hear that." He nodded, keeping an eye out on the trees.

"Don't you at least want to sit down?" I asked.

"Nope."

"I got a text from Bill." Sookie walked outside, closing the door behind her as she joined us. "From five hours ago, dammit! I'm getting a new phone as soon as Eric pays us."

"You working for Eric?" Lafayette, lowered his gun to look at her.

"Mhm." She nodded, trying to read the text. "Great. Bill's not coming back until tomorrow."

"So what do we do now? Just pray that bitch doesn't come to collect Tara?" Lafayete threw his arms out.

"Guess we better not plan on him saving us." I took another sip.

"Will you stop with the drinking!" Sookie pulled the bottle away from me. "We need you clear headed in case anything happens."

"What was it like inside Tara's head?" He asked, taking a seat next to us.

"Like there was no limit, like anything could happen and it probably will. And you can feel your insides expanding, but there's also this emptying out of everything right at the very center of your being and you don't want that to ever stop." Sookie said, staring blankly at the floorboards.

"Damn that sounds nice." He nodded.

"How's your leg?" I asked him, noticing him walking a hell of a lot better than he had been.

"Better than ever." He said stretching it out.

"How'd that happen?" Sookie asked.

"Eric made me drink his motherfuckin' blood is how it happened."

I looked over at him, nodding as I remembered how replenished my body felt when my ribs broke. It was like I was a new person. "Me too."

"I can't stand him." Sookie shook her head. "Somebody otta slap him."

"Shut the fuck up, Sookie. You milk Bill like your personal watering hole." I rolled my eyes.

"Do you ever have any dreams about him?" Lafayette asked, turning to me.

"Yeah." I nodded. "It's like he's always in my head."

"And sex dreams?" He asked. "All kind of nasty and … fantastic. Which freaks me the fuck out because I hates that motherfucker, more than you ever know."

I leaned my head back to look at the clouds as I remembered our last night in Dallas. The dreams were immaculate but the real thing was even better. Every thrust, every touch of his lips, his hands claiming my body. Even the bite had me riding a wave of ecstasy. As much as I hated what he had done to Lafayette, that man sure knew how to create an internal war between your mind and your heart.

Lettie Mea ran out the front door crying and we all stood up.

"Oh hell, what now?" Lafayette picked up his gun. "What?"

"I can't stay there with her, saying those things that break my heart. I will keep guard while one of you goes to sit with her."

The three of us looked amongst ourselves, Lafayette and I finding her offer suspicious but he gave her the gun anyway. The second she got in in her hands she pointed it straight at him. I reached for mine but she shot off a bullet into the air.

"Uh uh, Melanie Stackhouse, you back away now."

I put my hands up, stepping away from the gun as Sookie moved closer to me.

"Tara baby, I got the gun!" She yelled from inside the house.

"Oh you are not really doing this!" Sook tried to reason.

"Go unlock the handcuffs." She commanded. When none of us moved, she shot one off again."GO!"

Lafayette fell to his knees as his PTSD came back. I rushed to his side wrapping my arms around him to calm him down. Fucking Eric. Sookie nodded her head, when reason didn't work, she walked inside and unlocked Tara. She cussed her out after handing her the keys to the car but we all knew Sook would be the first one to put everyone in danger just for Bill. The hypocrisy was real.

We watched Tara drive off and Lettie Mae still held the gun to us. With her still staring at Sookie, I grabbed a wooden sculpture from behind us and threw it at her head, knocking her over. Sookie grabbed the gun and I grabbed Lafayette, dragging him to the car. Lettie Mae yelled behind us how it wasn't her fault but we weren't trying to hear any of it.

"Our Gran lived and died in that house. Now it's like people who are the opposite of everything she was, are defiling her." I watched as people ran naked around the weird tree in front of the house.

"I almost got raped in Dallas." Sookie's voice cracked. "But this is so much worse."

"Don't take it personal, guys. They ain't themselves. They're not doing it on purpose." Lafayette held the gun securely as he watched.

"The first time I met Maryann, I knew there was something seriously off about her. She was thinking creepy foreign stuff, and I could tell it wasn't good."

"I mean, you couldn't have stopped her Sook." He said softly.

"How come there's so much wrong in the world?" She asked. "How come so many people are willing to do bad things and hurt other people?"

"Stop it." I crossed my arms. "Now's not the time for this shit. We get in, we get Tara, we shot that bitch in the face and end all of this. Understood?"

* * *

 _ **Eric:**_

"Why should I help you, shifter?" I leaned back against the leather couches, Pam standing behind me as Sam Merlotte and two children sat in my bar.

"Because I need your help. We need it. And hopefully someday, I might be able to give you something you need."

"Can you give me Melanie Stackhouse?"

I could feel Pam rolling her eyes behind me but it was a fair question. I'd been craving her since our departure in Dallas. Her blood was more addicting than anything I'd ever tried in my thousand years, and the sex was good enough to match. But I knew that once we were back here, we were back to being enemies though I knew I wasn't going to stop trying.

"No." The shifter shook his head.

"Well that's a shame. That would be a tribute I would not soon forget."

"I'm not here to pay you tribute, Eric." He raised his voice.

"No, you're here to request my help based on the hypothetical future in which you return the favor." Sam sighed, looking at the two kids with him before I sat up again. "But you are known to not be friendly toward those like me. Why should I trust you?"

"Because until somebody starts trusting somebody, we're all single targets just ripe for the picking."

I knew I was going to help anyway. I'd been waking up to Melanie's fears all throughout the day but I was unable to do anything. I'd visited her last night, despite her not knowing. I watched as she sat on the deck of her friend's porch. Shotgun loaded and ready for anyone who dared join her. As small as she was, her courage was larger than any I'd known.

"I have no knowledge of this maenad creature, although i suspect it's the bullheaded beast that passed through recently. Right, Pam?"

"That thing owes me a pair of shoes."

Sam looked between us."So will you help us or not?"

" I do know someone who might be able to offer something useful. Might be able to." I made sure he understood the big maybe.

"Can we see your fangs?" The little boy asked.

I dropped them and the little girl gasped, leaning backwards.

"Don't you like vampire's little girl?"

"Our almost stepdaddy hated vampires." She said, leaning closer with her brother to check them out. "But we don't."

"He went on vacation with Jesus." The boy added.

"You make me so happy I never had any of you." Pam chimed in, crossing her arms.

"Oh come on Pam. They're funny. They're like humans, but miniature." I leaned closer to look at them. "Teacup humans."

"So can you call this other person who might be able to -" The shifter brought our attention back.

"Better yet, I'll go see her, but I must leave right away."


	7. Chapter 7

_**Melanie:**_

With Sookie held up downstairs, I trekked through the rest of the house. Each room was dirty. Mud splattered all over the walls. One man was trying on one of Sookie's dresses. Another room had people fucking on the floor. I made my way into Gran's to see glass shattered all over the floor. The center of her bed had been torn apart to make some sort of - nest?

"Where you been at?" A hand landed only shoulder. "I've been looking for you."

I turned around to see Lafayette. His eyes pitch black like everyone else's. A scream escaped my throat but he laughed. With my heart pounding almost out of my chest, I tried to regain my calm. Placing my hand on his arm, I looked him in the eyes.

"Lafayette, sweetie. I'm your friend. I know you're in there somewhere. You don't want to do this."

" _Prepare her for Bromios, prepare her for Eleutherios, prepare her -"_

He shoved my hand off of him, causing me to gasp as I took a step back as his hand traced the front of my body.

"Take off your clothes." He demanded.

"What?" I asked. "Listen to what you're saying."

"I have thousand-year-old vampire blood in me. Now, TAKE OFF YOUR FUCKING CLOTHES!"

Jumping at his scream I pulled off my tank top and shorts, leaving myself only in my see-through lace bra and panties. I curled my arms to shield my body as he stepped closer before he leaned down to pull a white dress out of a bag.

"Now put this on."

I did as I was told, pulling on dress before he grabbed my arm and shoved me down the stairs. I could hear excited chattering coming from the living room before he pushed me inside. Sookie was already there, also in a white dress, being held back by Eggs while the other women prepped Maryann.

"Here they are! Just how you wanted." He shoved me closer to her.

Maryann gasped and turned around, a wide excited smile on her face as she lifted the veil.

"What the hell are you doing in my grandmother's wedding dress!?" I yelled but she only laughed.

"Welcome Melanie!" She smiled, "You're going to be my bridesmaid!"

" _She's out of her mind. I'm supposed to be her maid of honor."_

Sookie thought, as she looked over at me.

" _We need to get out of here Mel."_

"Eggs, let me go!" Sookie demanded.

"Don't fight it." He held her tighter. "Just let it take you."

"I've spent enough time being taken recently."

"Shush, you haven't been taken. Just borrowed." Maryann chimed happily while the women fixed her hair. "To go along with old, new, and blue over here."

"You have no right to wear that dress!" I seethed, struggling to get out of Lafayette's grip to no avail.

"I know I should've asked, but I couldn't find you two." She shrugged before looking at Sookie. "You'll never use it anyway."

"Oh go to hell!" She yelled while the zombified women gasped.

"Please don't be so negative." Maryann softened. "It's my day."

"And you're in my house. And those are our friends." I looked at everyone.

"I don't know how you did what you've done to them," Sookie stepped forward. "But I will not let this happen."

"Girls, would you mind going to check on the refreshments. I need to have a moment with my maid of honor." She turned to Lafayette. "Bring this one with you."

"No!" I screamed. "I'm not leaving her!"

Lafayette picked me up over his shoulder and walked me out as I struggled to grab onto the doorframe. "Lafayette let me go!"

* * *

 _ **Eric:**_

A shiver went down my spine as we played our 5th round of Yahtzee at the queen's mansion. Melanie was in trouble. I could feel it in my bones but I couldn't step away now. She would know something was up.

"How long does this game go on for?" I asked, penciling down my roll.

"We play to 5 million." She answered with a smile.

"She's way ahead." Her human said.

"It's pure luck." The queen shrugged. "Yahtzee is the most egalitarian game in the world. You could be my social, physical, or intellectual inferior, but your chances are equal to mine. It's the perfect antidote for this world where things such as superiority and inferiority do matter. Oh, uh, speaking of which, I heard about your maker. That blows." She looked at me as she shook the dice.

"Your majesty, it's very kind-"

"Yahtzee!" She interrupted. "I'm sorry, you were saying?" She looked at me.

"I was just saying thank you. Your majesty is very kind -"

"Oh yes!" She interrupted again. "Now I remember. Did you know that there's a maenad in Renard Parish?"

"Yes, that is the reason I came to see your, your majesty." I nodded, finally getting to the purpose.

"I wouldn't get involved if I were you. Stick to what you're good at. I gave William Compton a few bits of hand-me-down folklore we've accumulated over the centuries, but who knows if it's gospel or gorilla shit?" She shrugged. "You know, I think he's monogamous with his human."

"He is in love with her, yes." I nodded.

The blonde rolled her eyes but the blonde human spoke up. "He is?" She asked before the queen shot her a look and she lowered her head.

"Well, of course he would be with her. You probably are too." She eyed me up and down.

Sookie, I couldn't stand. She was loud mouthed and reckless. If she disappeared I wouldn't give it a second thought, but her sister -

"I do not love humans." I answered.

"She's not entirely human." The queen leaned forward. "Have you tasted her?"

"Sadly, no."

"Don't. Ever." She went back to rolling. "Or her younger sister. One vampire falling in love is bad enough."

* * *

 _ **Melanie:**_

Lafayette held my arms as the women held hands and frolicked around the tree. An enormous egg planted in one of the many openings around with flowers and meats. The whole town seemed to be invited to the 'wedding'. Each one of our neighbors and friends having the same eyes.

Taking a look around, I saw Jason. His eyes just as black as he danced around.

"Jason!" I yelled but but got no response. There was nothing I could do. It took Bill glamouring Tara to bring her back, there was no way we could glamour everyone and Bill still hadn't returned yet.

Jason walked inside only to return minutes later yanking Sookie by her arm followed by Maryann coming down with Andy holding her dress. The crowd cheered as she walked down until Bill called out to her.

"Maenad! I have your vessel!" He held Sam by his collar.

"Bill, what the fuck are you doing!?" I screamed out.

"I have your sacrifice." He continued. "I offer him in exchange for Sookie."

"NO!" Sookie yelled out. "She'll kill him!"

"She's not going to stop with me." Sam pleaded his case to everyone.

"Take her to the dead man." She instructed Jason. "She's served her purpose."

He walked her over to Bill and grabbed onto Sam.

"And Melanie!" Sookie demanded.

"No no." Maryann walked over to me and Lafayette tightened his grip. She brushed her hand down my cheek and smirked. "We'll hang on to her."

"Bill!"I moved my head from her reach. "You can't let her kill Sam!"

"Sorry. This is the only way." He shook his head, grabbing ahold of Sookie.

"Get your fucking hands off me!" Sam struggled with Jason before looking at me.

" _Melanie, Sook's freaking out, but listen to me. We have a plan. Trust me."_

Sam thought as they dragged him to the sculpture. I nodded my head, my heart beating quickly as I watched. Sookie struggled but Bill wouldn't let go of her.

"Get her out of here!" Sam yelled over to Bill. "I won't have her watch me die."

Maryann raised her hands as someone put a bulls head on the top of the sculpture. We watched as everyone kneeled before it.

"Hail Dionysus." They chanted following her lead. "Bacchus, Bromios, Eleftherios, Dendrites."

"All these names are yours our bullhorned god." Maryann continued. "Upon this occasion of our marriage, our offering symbolizes the birth of our God. When he was a child, the jealous titans ripped him to shreds, eating all but his heart. And this last piece was saved by his sister, Pallas Athena, who placed it into the womb of his mother so that he could be reborn. Oh great mother," She turned to face the tree. "Soon you shall have the heart, that will make your egg grow fertile, and your son, our bullhorned god, will come and stand in your place."

" _Sookie."_

I tried to connect with her but she was too frazzled.

" _Sookie, you have to listen to me. Sook!"_

It was no use. She watched Maryann like a hawk as she continued to try and pull away from Bill.

"SAM!" She screamed out at the top of her lungs. "Stop, NO!"

We watched as Maryann handed a large blade to Eggs.

"Sam! Use your gift!" She yelled.

"NO!" I screamed falling to my knees as Eggs plunged the blade into his heart. His blood curdling scream filled my ears. "SAM!"

The anger and pain inside of me harvested once again and my hands lit up, this time shining brighter as the electricity of it temporarily knocking everyone out except for Maryann and Bill who were both slightly stunned. Sookie and I ran to Sam. She cried and apologized profusely as I checked for his pulse.

"Sookie, destroy it. Destroy the tree." I said as I pulled off the cloth blocking Sam's mouth.

Sookie grabbed the egg, slamming it onto the ground before we grabbed the sculpture, both of our hands glowing as we pushed it down causing it to shatter.

Everyone came too at the sound of the tree crashing. Disappointed sounds coming from each of them before Maryann came to the front.

"How dare you spoil my offering?!" She screamed walking around us to stare at the remnants of it. "Lord Dionysus, forgive me." She prayed before turning to the crowd. "Allow me to sacrifice all of them for you!"

She started to vibrate and the sound she created made everyone cover their ears painfully as they all screamed.

"Stop it!" Sookie ran over to Tara and Jason. "You're hurting them!"

Staring at my hands again, I concentrated on getting my light back before I pointed it at her. The light hit her causing the noise to stop before she turned to me. Her eyes narrow and deadly. "You!" She pointed her finger at me as she stepped closer. "You brought this upon everyone!"

She dug her hands in the dirt before pulling out large, clawed fingers. The crowd still held their ears, kneeling down as I started to run. Sookie following closely behind me as we made our way down the path into the forest. We could hear her growling behind us as she got closer and closer.

"Bill!" Sookie cried out.

"Fuck Bill!" I yelled at her. "Run!"

She tripped behind me and the maenad stopped in front of her, ready to kill her when we heard bull-like howling approaching us. The maenad stopped, walking past both Sookie and I as a white bull came out from the trees.

"My Lord." Maryann said, breathlessly. "My husband. Oh, you've come. I am here, my love."

I lifted Sookie as the two of us held onto each other, watching as Maryann approached the Bull.

"We're together at last." She teared up as she placed her hand on it's nose."Come to me."

She stepped back, holding her arms out before the bull backed up and shoved it's horn into her, tearing through to the other side. We gasped as it pulled out and shoved it back in again. The maenad screamed as she was lifted by its strength.

"My god. I'm the one to be sacrificed?" She asked."I am the vessel? Yes!" She moaned as he shoved his horn in again. "I'm happy to die!"

The bull transitioned back into Sam, his hand taking place of the horn. As he pulled his arm out he pulled out her still beating heart surrounded by black tar-like blood.

Maryann looked at her heart in his hand before coming to a realization. "Was there no God?"

Sam crushed the heart in his hands and she collapsed, her skin melting into a dark black color as she fell.

"Sam!" I ran to him. "He killed you!"

"No," He said wrapping his arms around me. "Almost."

Sookie saw Bill coming from around the corner holding his wrist. She ran past us to hug him. "Bill!"

"Is-is she gone?" He asked as he collapsed into her arms.

"I think so." She nodded.

"Is Sam alright? He had to drink more of me than I expected."

"He's okay." I answered, watching as Sam went to see the body.

"I promised Sam that I would heal him." He looked between us. "We knew no other way of destroying her.

"Shh." Sookie shushed him. "I understand."

"I'm sorry I worried you. I so badly wished that you could hear my thoughts."

"Sam," I looked over at he came back to us, wrapping my arms around him into another hug. "You were willing to die for us."

"Bill kinda promised he wouldn't let that happen." He shrugged, throwing his hand over my shoulder. "But if things didn't work out, I guess I was ready."

 **OOO**

Sam decided to open Merlotte's the following morning. More than happy for something familiar, Sookie and I got to work. Sookie waited the tables while I hung behind the bar helping Tara clean some glass shards and serve drinks to people. Arleene had spent the morning crying and non-stop apologizing to her kids. I heard them ask about Rene and Arlene told them he was still on his vacation.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed her hand as she came back towards the kitchen. "They already know he's dead, honey."

I let go of her arm as she stared at them wide eyed before running back into the kitchen. It wasn't my place to tell her not to lie to her kids. Hell with everything happening in this town, maybe keeping them in an ignorant bubble might be best for now.

Theories had been going around all morning about what happened last night. The mayor told everyone it was a gas leak, but others thought it was aliens or government experiments. Either way, they didn't need to know the truth. Part of me wished I could have forgotten it. Looking at the same people who had defiled my grandmother's house, killed Sam, and almost killed us wasn't easy, even if they had no control of their bodies.

I watched as a women went back to Sam's office with a bag containing a large box before I watched Sookie come out with it. She nodded her head towards the front door and the two of us walked outside.

"Who's it from?" I asked as she sat on a large tree root.

"I don't know." She shrugged, opening the box. "The woman said it was an admirer."

She unwrapped the tissue paper to pull out a beautiful purple dress before finding a note underneath. Her face lit up into a soft smile as she read it.

"It's from Bill. He wants me to wear it tonight."

I gasped as a hand landed on my shoulder, turning around to see Eggs behind us.

"I'm sorry." He smiled nervously. "I gotta talk to one of you."

"What is it?" Sookie stood. "You look like you haven't slept all night."

"I gotta know. There was blood on my hands. All that fucking blood. What did I do? WHAT DID I DO?!"

He thought as he took a seat on of the roots. I looked at Sookie, motioning my head towards him for her to read his thoughts but she wouldn't look at me. Goddamn it, for having this gift, our communication was shit.

"There's gaps…" He started, looking between us. "Where I can't remember anything. But I have to know what I did, and please. I need your help."

"Woah, Eggs." I backed away. "I don't think that's a good idea. Some things are better left unknown."

"She's right." Sookie looked at him. "It's not as easy as that."

"I had blood on my hands last night and I can't remember why. Now I know I did a lot of terrible things in my past but I paid for 'em. I thought that was all over but if it's not, I got a right to know."

"Are you sure?" Sookie asked him.

"I can't live with myself not knowing what I did." He hung his head as tears started to fall.

"Sookie." I pulled her over to me. "Don't. He's clearly unstable. You don't know what he'll do."

"He's got a right Melanie. And if you don't want to help then you can go back inside." She pulled her arm from me, walking back to him.

"Fine." I threw my arms out. "But anything happens to that man, it's on your head."

I shook my head and headed back inside. Sookie came in a few minutes behind me, worry and regret clearly written on her face. I told her not to. I told her. Without looking at me, she walked to the back.

"What's her deal?" Tara asked as she wiped the bar top.

"What ain't her deal?" I shrugged.

"Ain't that the truth." She laughed.

The night started slowing down and Sookie, as usual, left early to get ready for her date with Bill. Sam hung his face the rest of the night as he was clearly still in love with her. Tara, Arlene, and I were left to close up. A few patrons were still finishing up so I helped Lafayette clean the kitchen.

The sound of a gunshot made everyone jump. After realizing nobody inside was shot, Arlene and the crowd ran outside. Curiosity getting the best of me, I followed. Tara ran through everyone to get a good look before sinking to her knees as Arlene tried to block her view. I stepped forward to see Eggs with a gunshot wound to the head.

Goddamn it, Sookie.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Melanie:**_

"I'm so sorry, babe."

I knelt down beside her, wrapping my arms around her as she held Eggs's hand. Her tears flowed freely as she stared at his cold, dead body. Lafayette came back outside with a jacket, throwing it over her shoulders before he joined our hug.

We walked back inside after the coroner took the body. Lafayette and Tara sat at one end of the bar while Arlene gave Sheriff Dearborne her statement. I poured the three of us a drink while Tara stared at Arlene sucking up to the police. I could see her hands shake as she downed her drink and I didn't hesitate to fill her another one.

"Because without law enforcement, we would be nowhere as a society!" Arlene finished saying before Tara got up.

"What the fuck, Arlene? This ain't a goddamn beauty pageant."

"Oh shit." Lafayette looked at me as we each drank from our cups.

"The only man I ever loved was just zipped up in a bag and you don't even have the decency to pretend you give a fuck."

Lafayette walked over to Tara, trying to calm her down.

"I give a fuck." Arlene defended but Tara scoffed.

"But what did I expect? Trash is as trash does."

"Tara!" I tried to hush her.

"Arlene stood. "I'm sorry you fell in love with a serial killer, alright? But honestly, who here hasn't?"

"Bitch, Eggs wasn't no killer!" Tara screamed causing Arlene to jump back.

"Tara!" Andy stepped forward. "He confessed."

Tara and Arlene looked ready to go at it before I stepped from around the bar, standing in between them. "We're going to take Tara to my house. Bud, if you need anything, you can meet us over there."

* * *

 _ **Eric:**_

"Holy F-"

I heard Sookie's voice behind me as I rammed my dick into my new employee. After being told to stay away from Sookie and Melanie, I'd been trying to do anything I possibly could to get her off my mind. The urges to go to her were too great, especially considering the amount of shit she'd been experiencing with the maenad. Tonight I could sense her sadness and the only way I could ignore the overwhelming need to comfort her was to keep myself busy.

"Sookie, meet my new dancer, Yvetta, from Estonia." I introduced, walking over to her.

"Hi." Sookie said as politely as she could while trying to avoid eye contact.

"Don't go anywhere." I told Yvetta while I dried off my hands and walked over to her. "So, what brings you to Fangtasia on this balmy summer night?"

"Bill's been kidnapped and I think you did it." She said blatantly.

"I didn't. Any other theories?"

"I'm still on this one, thank you very much. Where were you tonight around 11?"

"Here. With Yvetta." I put my hands on my hips letting the fan cool me off.

"Doing this?" She asked incredulously. "For the last six hours?"

"You seem surprised." I smirked. "Is Bill's stamina not up to snuff?"

"Tell me where I can find Lorena." She changed the subject. "If you don't have him. She does."

"Solid theory, but given the tenor of your last run-in with Miss Krasiki, I think it's better if I dealt with her instead."

Last time she ran into Lorena, Melanie had to save her ass just like everyone else does. If Sookie went looking for her, Melanie would undoubtedly be with her and who knows what Lorena would do to them. As much as Melanie could hold her own, she was still no match for a vampire.

"How do I know you will?"

"Because if Bill was, in fact, kidnapped, by human or vampire, I am duty-bound as sheriff of the area in which he resides to find him." I bullshitted.

I couldn't give two fucks where Bill was but Sookie was trouble and my chest ached at the thought of that falling onto Melanie. What was becoming of me? What the fuck was this feeling?

"Then do it." Sookie demanded before going back up the stairs. "By the way." She stopped at the top. "You owe me $10,000."

I smirked at her cockiness. If it wasn't for my interest in the younger one, I would've drained her a long time ago.

* * *

 _ **Melanie:**_

The doors opened around 5 in the morning. I could see Sookie's car in the driveway from the kitchen window while I made coffee for Lafayette and myself. After pulling another all nighter with Tara, we were exhausted and the best we could come up with for for Lafayette to give her some drugs to calm her down. I was still so angry at Sookie. I told that girl. I told her and once again she didn't listen. Now Tara had to suffer.

"Tara?" She said seeing her laying on the couch.

I walked into the living room, handing Lafayette his mug while I took a sip from mine, leaning against the doorframe. Tara started sobbing again. The pain working her way back up. As numb as we tried to get her, it was all still so fresh.

Sookie walked over, sitting on the table in front of her.

"It's Eggs." Tara started.

"Come here." Sookie reached her arms out, helping Tara sit up. "What happened?"

"They shot him." Lafayette answered for her.

"What? Who?" She asked,

"Andy Bellefleur. Said Eggs came at him with a knife, confessing to killing them women and cutting out their hearts." He took a sip of his coffee.

"The fuck he know any of that?" Tara asked through her tears.

"Oh my God." Sookie came to the realization I'd already known. "Tara, he came to me earlier today, said he needed help remembering what Maryann made him do. So … so I helped him."

Lafayette tilted his head at her stupid decision. It hadn't taken a genius to see nothing good could've come from that but Sookie never thought about anybody but herself.

"You fucking did not!" Tara's tone instantly turned hostil.

"I'm sorry!"

"Oh, you sorry?! You signed his death warrant and that's all you got? Fuck you!" She screamed at her before knocking her onto the ground and trying to hit her.

I knew I should've stopped her but the fact was I wanted to do it myself. Lafayette on the other hand jumped up to help, grabbing Tara by the waist and pulling her away.

"We're in the same boat!" Sookie tried to reason. "Bill's gone too!"

My eyes widened at her audacity to put them in the same category. Tara had lost her loved one forever. Eggs wasn't coming back but yet Bill was more important to Sookie so that's all she cared about.

"He didn't need to know!" Tara screamed out, ignoring her stupid comment.

"Get her out of here!" Sookie yelled.

"I was just fucking leaving!" Tara walked out.

Lafayette looked at me, sighing before he put the drink down and following Tara out.

Sookie stared at the door, still not wrapping her mind around what happened. I grabbed Lafayette's mug and walked to the kitchen where she followed me. As I washed the cup, I could hear her tapping her foot expecting me to ask her what's wrong.

"Bill went missing. He asked me to marry him. I needed a minute to think and when I came back from the bathroom he was gone." She said without me asking.

I put the mug down turning around to look at her like she had 3 heads.

"Well? Aren't you going to say anything?" She threw her arms out.

I reached my arm back before slapping her hard across the face, my palm stinging from the impact as she fell to the floor.

"How do you live with yourself?" I asked her, leaning on top of her as she held her cheek, fighting back tears. "Your best friend just lost the love of her life forever because of YOU. I told you that man was unstable. He didn't have to know! Yet you insisted. Eggs fucking DIED! Then you kick her out for being mad at you!? And you think Bill disappearing on you because you didn't fucking say yes is in the same boat? Fuck you Sook. Since these fucking vampires came around, you've become the biggest piece of shit I know. Tara fucking needed you and all you can think of is your own selfish bullshit. Good luck with your life."

I wiped my hands with the towel before grabbing my car keys. She yelled something after me but I couldn't bother to find out what it was as I got into my car and started driving. I should've gone to Lafayette's been there with Tara and Lafayette, but the lord knew I needed time to cool off before I could focus on that again.

Instead, I drove and I kept driving until I pulled into a lot with a familiar red sign came into view. I didn't know what brought me there. It's almost like it called me too it. I hadn't seen Eric in weeks. I hadn't expected to. Our night together was more than amazing but that was it. At least I thought so. I felt for him on our trip to find Godric. I could see the sliver of humanity left in him. Fighting for him. Eric was a deeper man than he even knew, but my life didn't allow for me to help him discover that.

Fangtasia was blacked out. Even though the sun would be rising soon, there was still a chance Eric and Pam would be awake. I knocked on the door, shivering at the cold bitter air before Eric opened it, shirtless in boxers and a red silk robe.

"Melanie?" He said, sounding surprised to see me. "What do I owe this pleasure?"

He stepped out of the way to let me in, shutting the door securely behind me to make sure light wouldn't come through. I shrugged my shoulders, as I turned around to face him.

"I - I don't know." I answered honestly. "I need a place to crash."

"Not that I mind, but what's wrong with your house?" He asked.

"I can't be there right now and who knows who Jason has over." I made my way in further.

Eric followed behind me obviously sensing my anger and anxiety.

He nodded his head towards the door. "Does this have anything to do with Bill being missing?"

"What? No." I raised my eyebrow. "How do you know?"

"Sookie came by earlier, thought she might have sent you to double check I didn't have him." He shrugged his shoulders, causing his chest muscles to move. I couldn't help but notice his impeccable form but the anger I held wasn't allowing me to change focus.

"No. Look it's almost dawn. You should be going to ground. I just need a few hours of sleep before I have to get to work."

"I'm not exactly sure where the extra coffin is, but mine is roomy enough if you're up to it." He watched for my reaction.

His eyes still full of concern but he let it go as he walked me down the back hallway of the club. I opened the door to the room to see a large almost bed-like coffin. I looked back at him before nodding my head.

"Yeah. Should be fine. Thank you for this." I nodded, taking off my shoes as I sat on the edge of it.

He smiled, walking over to his dresser to pull out a t-shirt, setting it next to me before he took off his robe and hung it behind the door. I slipped off my shirt and shorts, slipping on the t-shirt before taking off my bra from underneath it and laying back down next to him. He closed the coffin and leaned back beside of me, his arm instinctively wrapping around my waist.

It was weird sleeping in a closed coffin. It was weird sleeping next to Eric again. It was the most weird how none of it felt weird at all. I curled into him. His smell calming my senses as his fingers traced the curve of my back. As mad as I was at him, as mad as I was at Sookie, all of it seemed to be washed away.

"You okay?" He whispered after a few minutes.

I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply as I shook my head no. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about it and after being up all night, my eyes were to heavy to even try and stay awake. His lips pressed against mine softly then my forehead before I managed to drift off.

 **OOO**

"How's Tara?" I asked Lafayette through the kitchen window.

He shrugged his shoulders, stirring the pot of chilling and dispersing it to a few bowls.

"Ain't doin' too hot. Didn't get a wink of sleep last night. Kept calling for her mama so I called her before I came to work. Figured it was better than leaving her alone."

"Jesus Christ." I mumbled wiping a few cups dry. "I had it out with Sookie last night."

He looked up from his pot. "Over what?"

"Hey, Lafayette." Arlene sniffed her bowl of chilli. "There something different about the chili tonight?"

"Actually, yeah. It was tasting kind of flat, so I put a pinch of -"

"Cinnamon." They said simultaneously.

I looked between the two of them confused.

"Yeah, how the hell you smell that? I put a half a teaspoon in the whole pot." He said, coming up to her.

"Shit." She froze. "I'm pregnant again."

The two of us raised our eyebrows as she took off into Sam's office before turning back to one another.

"You were saying?" He asked.

I sighed, moving on to the next cup. "Since Bill came into the picture, Sookie has forgotten her loyalties to everyone but him. She didn't think twice about how it would affect Eggs to know all of that. She was too busy thinking about her date with Bill. Then we tell her that Eggs is dead and she says they're in the same boat because Bill went missing? Like are you kidding me?"

"Yeah," He nodded. "I caught that too. But she's in love, Mel. Love makes you act in strange ways."

"Yeah, only when it applies to her and her needs. Tara was in love too and Sook didn't give two fucks last night that she had her heart ripped open."

"Melanie!" I heard her voice as she ran through the front door to me. Turning to face her, I could see a visible bruise from when I hit her on her cheek last night. "Jessica felt Bill last night. He called her to this place. We're going to find him. Come with me? Please."

"What part of good luck with your life did you misinterpreted to mean we're okay?" I asked, placing my hands firmly on my hips.

"I don't have time for this Melanie! Bill is missing and I'm going to find him! As your sister, I'm begging you to come with me."

"Get out of here Sook. You haven't been a sister to me since that man came into your life." I turned back around to finish drying off the dishes. Lafayette gave her a look of pity as she huffed and stormed back out the door.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Eric:**_

"It stands for operation werewolf. Some kind of secret Nazi commando force from world war II." Sookie walked around me as I stared at the symbol she had drawn on a piece of paper.

"You found this branded on a dead man's neck?"

"Bill summoned Jessica there. I think he was trying to show us who kidnapped him."

"Yeah, Nazi werewolves." His progeny said excitedly.

"That dead guy was strong and fast enough to take Bill." Stackhouse continued. "He had to be something supernatural. I was hoping you could tell us more."

"Did you get your sister involved in this?" I asked and she looked at me confused.

"No, Melanie and I aren't seeing eye to eye."

Good. I thought to myself, my eyes catching the light blue bruising on her cheek. Dropping the paper on the table, I shrugged. "Never seen it before. Sorry."

"Why do I get the feeling you're blowing me off?"

She wasn't going to leave without a full answer. I looked at Pam, telling her in swedish to take Jessica somewhere else. Sookie crossed her arms expectedly.

"Here's what I know about werewolves." I placed my hands in my pockets, pacing back and forth. "There's a reason their existence has remained a myth to humans for thousands of years. They're territorial, vicious, pathologically secretive."

"Boy does that sound familiar." She said trying to sound witty.

"Here's what I know about you." I leaned forward on the table to face her. "You're so blinded by your obsession with Bill Compton, you're likely to run through the streets screaming 'werewolf bait,' alerting whoever has Bill that we're onto them and/or getting yourself, your friends,and most likely your sister killed."

"You think I'm that stupid?" She leaned back offended.

"Yes." I answered honestly. "And you're human."

"Don't underestimate me."

"Don't overestimate yourself." I seethed. "You go off acting all brave and getting yourself in trouble and it's always someone else that gets hurt because of it. More than likely it's Melanie. Her life's too valuable to throw away."

I looked down realizing what I'd let out and I could feel her staring at me, expecting answers. She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at me.

"What is going on between you and my sister?"

"Nothing." I replied shortly.

"You're lying." She stepped forward. "I've seen the way you look out for her. The way she looks at you. If you care so much, why weren't you there when we were in trouble with the maenad. Bill was there."

She had no idea how badly I had wanted to be there. How my body ached every minute with her anger, pain, and fear. But she didn't know that I was under direct orders from the queen to not get involved with either of them. Going against her would be treason yet here was Sookie, in my bar.

"We're done here." I stood straight. "You can show yourself out."

"Eric, Bill's out there somewhere in danger. I can't just go on with life like that's not happening." She pleaded. "You know that, maybe better than anyone. When Godric went miss -"

"Bill Compton is no Godric." I cut her off sharply.

She shook her head. Her eyes filling with tears. "But he's everything to me. I risked my life to help you find Godric, and I don't expect you to do the same for me. But at the very least, I hope you'll help me if you can."

I rolled my eyes at her constant display of emotion but Pam and Jessica came out soon. Sookie had to get the young vampire home so she got up and left with Pam walking them out.

I stared down at the symbol again, knowing exactly where it came from. It was a symbol I had been chasing for over a thousand years with Godric by my side.

* * *

 _ **Melanie:**_

It had been a half hour since I had started scrubbing the dirt of the living room walls and it hadn't made any sort of impact. Vines and leaves still littered the entire house. Being alone had made me start to feel guilty about not helping Sookie but as harsh as I may have been, it had to be said. She was a different person since he came into the picture and she was always gung-ho for whatever trouble he brought with him.

The sound of knocking at the front door broke my concentration. With everything that had been going on, I grabbed the shotgun from next to me before peeking through the curtains to see that it was only Eric.

"Invite me in?" He waved through the glass with a friendly enough smile.

Placing the shotgun down next to the door, I opened it, stepping out of the way. "Come in."

He walked inside, shoving his hands in his pockets as his eyes made out the damage done by the maenad. Closing the door behind him, I followed him into the living room.

"What're you doing here?" I finally asked as he took a look around the intricately weaved vines along the doorframe.

He turned his attention towards me. "Have you been here alone? All night?"

"Yes? I got done with work at 1. Been here since."

I heard him growl under his breath. "It's not safe for you to be alone. Not now."

I scrunched my eyebrows, offended by the notion that he thought I couldn't defend myself. "Well I'm a big girl, thanks for your concern. Is that all you came here for?"

"No." He shook his head, making his way to stand in front of me. "Do you trust me?"

"No." I answered quicker than I would have liked but the truth was I didn't. As much of a pull as I felt to him, I knew he had a hidden agenda at all times.

"Smart girl. I can't say that I blame you but for now you need to." He looked genuinely hurt but understanding. "You're sister is on a very dangerous path. I want you to stay out of whatever she's about to do. Not because I'm telling you to, but because you have any kind of value on your life."

I looked at him even more confused than before, crossing my arms over my chest as his gaze weighed heavy on me. "What are you talking about? Sookie's in danger?"

"She came by to see me tonight. She had found a car turned over in a ditch with a dead body in it. The body had been branded with the symbol for Operation Werewolf. I told her I had never seen it because it's not something I want her chasing blindly but you need to know this. These are the werewolves that killed my parents, Melanie. I have been chasing them for the last thousand years, looking for their leader who gave the command. I don't know what they want with Bill, but I'm asking that you stay away."

The look in his eyes was serious enough for me to actually consider what he was saying. "Jesus Christ. Eric, I'm sorry about your family, but why do you care about me staying away? If Sookie's in any kind of danger I-"

His hands cupped my cheeks and he lowered his face to meet my lips, kissing them abruptly and full of passion. Losing all common sense, my arms slid around him, pulling his body closer to mine as he backed me against the wall.

"I can't explain what this feeling I have for you is," He answered breathlessly. "But I care very deeply for you and it makes me feel disturbingly human. I cannot and I will not allow anything bad to happen to you."

I couldn't deny my feelings for him, nor could I explain what they were. I had spent quite some time pushing them to the back burner, unable to look past all the bad shit he had done to my friends and even Sookie, but yet I was still drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Was this love? I'd never known the feeling for anyone other than my family, but this sure felt close to what others described.

Yet how could I be sure he was being honest? I could always tell what people were thinking. It had truly been a gift and a curse my whole life, especially with men, but with him I would have to take a leap of faith. I would have to trust that he wasn't telling me this only to manipulate me.

Nodding my head, I licked the remaining taste of him from my lips as my eyes gazed into his. "On one condition."

"Which is?" He asked, his hand moving below my ear as his thumb brushed my cheek.

"You tell Sookie what you know." I leaned into his touch. "She's going to do what she wants regardless but I'd rather have her know what she's up against. And I'd rather not have her do it alone."

"Okay." He nodded, lowering his head to kiss me deeply again. "It's almost dawn, I'll talk to her tomorrow night."

"Thank you." I whispered before he disappeared.

* * *

 _ **Eric:**_

"Hello, Sookie."

I stood outside the door of her house. I could've gone in but to her knowledge, I hadn't been invited yet and I would keep it that way. Nervously, she lowered her gun and opened the door.

"They came for you." I observed by her fearful manner.

"Just one. This morning. He took off before I could get anything out of him. Is that why you're here? Or do you know something about Bill?"

"I lied to you." I admitted. Flashbacks of the wolf I tortured in Germany popping into my mind. "These are not ordinary werewolves. They're organized, well funded, highly trained and fueled by vampire blood."

She came outside, nodding her head for us to sit on her steps while she processed the information.

"Why didn't you tell me last night?" She demanded.

"Bigger questions is why am I risking everything to tell you now? My loyalty is not to Bill or to you for that matter. In fact it would be advantageous for me in many ways if both of you disappeared, but -"

I stopped, not wanting to mention my promise to Melanie. I was not going to let her get involved in this even if it did mean providing her annoying sister with information and a companion.

"But?" She asked.

"But now they're after you and I owe you." I lied.

"When you said you were risking everything to tell me, what did you mean?"

"The deal was for me to keep you out of danger, not put you in more of it." I stood, brushing off the back of my pants.

"Eric, you can't just say something like that and leave." She followed me standing close in between me and the front door.

"Oh I'm not leaving. You're going to invite me in so I can protect you."

"I'm still Bill's." She whispered, her body almost against mine.

I scoffed at her suggestion and took a step back. "So you are." I said in a monotone voice.

Someone was inside, I could hear their paws pattering against the hardwood but to their knowledge, I didn't know they were there and we could use it to our advantage.

"Eric?" Melanie's tone caught me off guard and I backed away from her sister.

Shit. She couldn't go inside.

"Sookie, why don't you go say hi your sister." I nudged the blonde forward.

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Sookie protested before I went inside.

I could hear the confusion in their tone but growling from the kitchen caught my attention before I saw him coming. I dropped my fangs as the wolf began to lung but just in usual Sookie fashion, she ignored all orders and instead decided to shot him. I jumped in the way of the bullet and fell back in pain before he turned back into a man,

He lunged at me again wanting a taste of my blood like the fiend that he was. I managed to grab him by his throat, squeezing as tightly as my body would allow with it still trying to heal.

"Who sent you?!" I screamed.

"I - I can't talk!" He struggled to breath under my grip and I loosened slightly.

Immediately he dug his finger into my wound, draining me. I screamed out in pain unable to stop him before the sound a something smashing against his skull got him off of me. Looking up, I saw Melanie with a bat in her hand and the man lying next to me.

"You okay?" She knelt down beside of me.

The man began to groan and crawl for the doorway but Sookie shot him in the foot. His scream caused Melanie to gasp but I was ontop of him before he could make another sound.

"Who is your master!?" I yelled again, gripping his hair tightly as I held him down on the ground.

"If I tell you, I'm as dead as you are. You might as well kill me now."

I moved his hair away to see the symbol on his neck. Anger rising from deep within me caused me to bite into his neck, tearing his jugular vein. He screamed in pain but his voice soon vanished as the life was drained from him. I growled as I let his head drop in a thud on the floor only to look up and see Melanie's scared face as she watched.

"Oh." I looked down at the body. "I got your rug all wet."

Sookie stood wide eyed, gun still firmly in her hand as she stared but Melanie walked over to me, moving my jacket back to see that I had healed properly before she turned to her sister.

"Do you see what I mean?" She pointed down at the dead man. "This is what I meant when I said you don't think of anyone but Bill. What if I had been home? What if Jason was here?"

"I -" Sookie didn't know what to say. Instead she lowered her gun, as Melanie pushed her out of the way to grab large tarp from one of their cabinets before she threw it over the body.

"We should dispose of it in the cemetery." I wrapped the wolf in it before throwing it over my shoulder.

Both women followed me as we found a fresh grave to dig up. Sookie handed me the shovel and I dropped the body to dig. Melanie crossed her arms, leaning back against the headshot as she watched. The tension between the two was obvious. Melanie clearly held a deep grudge against her sister but I had still not dared to ask.

"Fresh graves are ideal for disposing of unwanted bodies." I broke the silence as I shoveled the dirt back in. "The ground is already disturbed so no one would think to dig again."

"So much for keeping him alive so we could question him." Sookie finally spoke.

"Well that's what I was planning."

"But then you saw his brand." She sighed.

"Brought back many memories. Unpleasant ones." I stopped, looking at Melanie from the corner of my eyes. She knew what I meant.

"If you'd have given me a chance to listen to more of his thoughts - "

"You have NO concept of how dangerous werewolves are." I raised my voice so she got the severity of it. "They're virtually silent. They have no fear of death. And when they've had a bit of our blood their strength can be a challenge. Even for me."

"Well like I said, thank you for saving me." Her voice softening to something almost flirtatious. "How's your bullet wound?"

"Would've healed faster if that motherfucker hadn't used him as his personal water fountain." Melanie answered.

"Alright, it is beyond obvious that they're something going on between you too. Since when are you this defensive over Eric Northman?" Sookie placed her hands on her hips turning to look at Melanie.

Melanie looked at me then at her. "When do you ever catch on to the obvious? You're head's so far up Bill's ass I'm surprised you haven't just found a way to manipulate him into turning you."

Well damn.

"Bill is the love of my life Melanie! Do you expect me to sit back while God know's what is happening to him?"

"No Sookie, I just expected you to care a little more about what's happening to your best friend and your family. Guess there just ain't enough room for us in your life no more though." Melanie grabbed the shovel, walking past us to go back to the house.

Sookie sighed, watching her disappear between the tree's before looking back at me. "Do you know anyone from Jackson? That's the only thing I could make out in his thoughts. Maybe that's the person he was working for?"

Just like her to ignore everything her sister had to say and go right back to talking about Bill.

"Jackson is where he lives." I motioned my hand for her to start walking back. "He had a mississippi accent."

"Oh my God. He's from Jackson? Do you think that's where Bill is? Eric, we have to go like yesterday." Her voice getting higher with excitement.

"I can't." I shook my head. I wasn't leaving the state and leaving Melanie here alone. Especially not now that Sookie had lead the wolves right to where she lives. "Not yet. The problems of the world consist of more than finding your missing boyfriend. You shouldn't go by yourself either. These werewolves are looking for you. You're no good to Bill or to me if you're dead."

Her sister would never forgive me if this bitch died.

"How can you expect me to sit around when we finally have a lead?"

"It'll be morning by the time you get to Jackson. If you're planning on rescuing a missing vampire during daylight, I have severely overestimated your intelligence. At least take the day to think it over."

"Fine. I'll leave tomorrow." She walked up a few steps to her porch. "But I have to go. Bill would do it for me. I don't expect you to understand."

Looking over her shoulder into the kitchen window I could see Melanie washing the dishes, the focus on her face only masking the anger she felt towards her sister.

"Oh, I understand very well."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Melanie:**_

"Mel, phone! I'm wiping!"

Tara yelled from across the room. I leaned the mop against the wall and walked behind the bar to answer it.

"Merlotte's this is Melanie."

"Hey, Melanie. This is Mike Spencer. Is Tara in?"

"Yeah, give me a minute." I covered the mouthpiece with my hand. "Tara, it's for you."

"Well who is it?" She asked, approaching the front and taking the phone from my hand.

"Mike Spencer." I shrugged, taking a few steps back to let her talk on the phone.

Her attitude disappeared after a few seconds and tears filled her eyes. She hung up and looked over at me.

"What is it sweetie?"

"Eggs, they're burying him today. I have to go."

"Terry! We're leaving! Tell Sam I'll be back!" I yelled in the back before taking Tara's hand. "We'll take my car."

It didn't take long for us to get there. Tara running out before I even put the car in park. I followed behind shortly and saw her talking to Mike. Only he and a couple of his employee's surrounding the casket. Tara stared down at it before turning her attention back to Mike.

"If I'm the only one here, who paid for all this?"

"I did." Sookie came through the trees. "Look, I get if you don't want me here. But I thought at the very least, Egg's deserved a real funeral.

"No, come on." Tara waved her over pulling her in for a tight hug. "The casket's nice. You didn't have to."

Sookie hugged her, resting her head on her shoulder. "None of this makes me feel better about anything. But maybe it might help you."

"It doesn't. I know you mean well, you always have. But there ain't anything anyone can do right now."

"Well at least you got somewhere to come see him now." I walked over next to her.

"Might not seem like much." Sookie added. "But I like having a place to go when I wanna see Gran. Every time I visit her, it hurts a little bit less."

Tara laid her head on my shoulder as she watched them lower the casket. Sookie rubbed her back as I held her close to us. As much as I disliked my sister, this was for Tara. Our bickering could wait.

"Will you come back home?" Sookie asked. "I'll be in Jackson for a couple of days. I got a lead on Bill. You and Melanie can watch out for each other while I'm gone."

There it was. She couldn't got a minute without mentioning Bill. I rolled my eyes and she saw me, but I would not mind spending some time with Tara while she was gone.

"You're not going with her?" Tara looked up at me, a hint of surprise in her tone.

"No, honey. And I'd love if you would come back and stay with me." I nodded.

"Lafayette's making me so crazy. I wanna eat the wallpaper." She laughed through her tears. "Of course I'll move in."

 **OOO**

"Get your goddamn hands off of me!" Sookie screamed from downstairs, causing me to drop the laundry basket in my hands and run down. "You're a werewolf and I've had vampire blood! I'll kick your ass!"

"Listen!" He held her still. "Eric Northman's the one who sent me."

I stopped mid run down the stairs after hearing Eric's name. Sookie stopped struggling and looked from me to him.

"My name is Alcide Herveaux. I'm here to look after you." He explained letting her go.

I walked down the remaining steps and Sookie backed away from him to stand next to me.

" _He said that one's off limits. Damn shame."_

I heard him think as he looked between the two of us.

"How do we know you ain't lying?" I stepped forward.

He laughed, his deep voice sounding like more of a roar. "Because if I wanted you dead no amount of vampire blood would've helped you by now."

Sook and I looked at each other. With his size, there was no doubt that was true and he certainly didn't look like the junkie from last night.

"Take off your shirt." I commanded, reaching for the heavy silver candlestick on the end table.

"Excuse me?"

"I said take off your shirt." I repeated myself holding the candlestick tightly.

He held his hands up to calm me down before he removed his shirt. His muscles slightly distracting me as I approached him. I examined his chest and neck before circling around to check for any branding on his back.

"He's clean." I told Sookie. "You can put your shirt back on."

He smirked, watching as I walked back in front of him, putting the candlestick on the coffee table.  
" _Smart girl."_

"I'm Melanie." I shook his hand after he had his shirt on. "This here's Sookie."

"I'll make us some coffee. Why don't we sit down in the kitchen and you can tell me why Eric sent you." Sookie motioned for us to walk to the kitchen.

Alcide took a seat at the table, his massive size made the chair he sat on look miniature. I leaned against the counter as Sookie moved around to make us the coffee.

"The house is in no shape for guests, I know." She placed a cup on the table in front of him and one near me. "I'll tell you about it in the car."

" _I hear you read minds is that true?"_

He thought as he looked at Sookie.

"Yes, it is." We both answered simultaneously.

He looked between her and I, bewildered. "Son of a bitch!"

"How'd Eric rope you into taking me to Jackson?" She asked, sitting across from him.

"My old man." He sipped from his mug. "He's got a construction company in Caddo parish. Came up a little short on a project. Went to Northman for a loan."

"Wouldn't be my first choice." She shook her head.

"That's why he was your first stop when Bill went missing?" I pointed out, taking a sip from my mug.

Alcide let out a quiet laugh hearing the bitterness in my voice. "Well you take what you can get. Only reason I'm here is to help him get out of debt. I don't do favors for vamps. Plus I know the pack is sniffing around. You ain't gettin nowhere without an in."

"Are you friends with them?" She asked hopefully.

"I wouldn't call them friends exactly. My ex is banging their leader."

"Damn." I mumbled.

"That pack is a cancer to our kind. Weres have lived in Jackson for almost 200 years without a single human knowing it. Now these son's of bitches come into town and there's a crime streak a mile wide. Not to say the rest of us are above violence, but you shut the barn door behind you."

"One of them came after me last night, in here." Sookie let him know.

"Yeah, Northman mentioned that. Looks like a hell of a fight. You going to be ready for more of that in Jackson?"

"They took someone I love from me." Sookie looked at the ring on her hand before looking back up at him. "I don't know about you, but I was raised to fight back."

"Great." He finished his cup. "You'll get us both killed."

"Yeah, don't think for one second she cares." I put my cup in the sink.

"Shut the fuck up, Melanie!" She turned back to Alcide. "I'll pack light."

She walked upstairs and I grabbed a beer, handing one to him before he followed me outside on the front porch. I watched as squirrels played on the dirt road. The leaves blowing in the soft wind as I took a pull from the bottle.

"You don't like her very much do you?"

"Yeah, well you stay alive long enough and you won't either. That girl will be the death of all of us just for Bill." I sighed, placing the bottle on the banister before resting my hands on it. "I love my sister very much, but at some point you realize you can't keep chasing her into a losing battle. Sookie has gone blind since Bill came into her life. There's not a single life that has any worth to her when it comes to getting to him."

I looked back to hear her footsteps coming down the stairs. "You be careful Alcide. Good luck." I patted his chest before grabbing my beer and going inside.

* * *

 _ **Eric:**_

"Jesus Christ, what're you doing out there?!" Melanie opened the window to her bedroom.

"Can I come in?" I asked out of courtesy, floating above it.

She looked down at the ground outside before looking back up at me. "Can all vampires fly?"

"Can all human's sing?" I retorted.

"You wouldn't think so if you heard me in the shower."

I laughed, climbing through the window as she stepped aside, shutting it behind me. I looked around the quaint little room. Simple and uncluttered. Old furnishings added character while a few pictures of her family hung on the walls.

"What are you doing here?"

I stepped in front of her, placing my hands on her hips as I lifted her into my arms, her legs wrapping instinctively around me again. My mouth took hers, devouring her lips as I pinned us against the wall. Her hands made quick work of my shirt while I trailed my tongue down to her neck, her moans sounding like heaven. She kissed my bare shoulder, before biting me softly, causing a growl to escape my lips.

"I've missed you." She moaned against my skin.

"I haven't wanted anything this much in my entire life." I breathed against her neck, resisting the urge to drink myself into ecstasy.

"You want more or I boring you?" Yvetta broke me out of my thoughts and brought me back to reality.

Melanie was nowhere in site. Only Yvetta dancing in front of me at Fangtasia. "That'll be all." I waved her off.

She scoffed, looking offended as she got off the pole and disappeared into the crowd. This was getting bad. I couldn't think straight without my thoughts somehow going back to her. Whether she was okay. What she might be doing. Who she was with. I never understood what Bill Compton saw in Sookie. I never got what that connection was, but then I met Melanie.

I had to see her. I stood from my seat, ignoring Pam's knowing looks of disapproval and walked to the front door only to see Melanie approaching from across the lot. She froze momentarily as she saw me before a warmer smile crossed her face.

"Melanie. To what do i owe this visit?" I asked meeting her halfway.

"I came to say thank you - for Sookie." She shoved her hands in her back pockets, looking up at me.

"Well you're welcome." I nodded, sensing she had more to say.

She bit her lower lip, lowering her head to look at the ground. "And-"

"And?" I asked.

Her eyes returned to me, I could hear her heart pounding. It made her veins only look that much more delicious. What was strange was the emotion she was feeling inside. I'd felt every feeling she'd had but I wasn't sure what this was. It felt uneasy almost like she was unsure of herself.

"And I came to figure out whatever this is between us." She said after taking a deep breath. "What you said last night - about not understanding what this is - I feel it too. I have this urge to be with you at all times and I know it's more than just having drank your blood. I -" she paused, trying to find the right words. "I care about you. More than I want too and more than I should but I do. I don't know if it's love. I pray it's not what Sookie feels for Bill because it would end in utter and complete disaster, but I want to find out."

I looked down at her, hands shoved in my pockets. I knew this was a horrible idea. I knew she could get hurt. Almost everyone around me had but I wanted to be selfish. I wanted her to want me as bad as I did her. Maybe it was just the blood or the sex that drew her here or maybe it was the fact that she actually loved me. There was a stronger bond there than just blood.

She hadn't abandoned me at the church in Dallas, she'd stuck up for Godric, and came to console me after, and those were all on her own terms. There was something deeper with Melanie Stackhouse, but as she said, I too prayed it would not go about like Bill Compton and her sister.

I took her hand in mine, stepping closer to her as my free hand rested on her neck, gently brushing my thumb against her jaw. She relaxed at my touch, leaning into my hand as she looked up at me.

"Then be mine Melanie. For as long as you want to. For as long as you'll have me. Be mine."

I could see her thinking about it. Her independence meant a lot to her. I'd never had to ask before and I have made my mind up long ago about her but no matter what I had said, she wouldn't have agreed unless she wanted too.

"I'm yours." She whispered. "For as long as it takes for us to realize how batshit crazy this is - every part of me is completely yours."

The look in her eyes told me how serious she was. I hadn't expected those words to come from her mouth, not anytime soon, not ever. I pulled her in for a kiss. As much as I wanted her body, as much as I had been craving her blood - right now all i could think of was kissing her. Claiming what was mine.

Her lips pressed against mine. Soft and tender her tongue brushed against them, her hands sweeping my hair back as they wrapped around my neck.

"And I am yours." I whispered as she pulled away, leaning her head on my chest.

"I like the sound of that." She smiled.

 **OOO**

"We definitely need to work on redecorating this room." Melanie let out a satisfied sigh as she curled against me, her arm draping over my stomach.

"If it means having you in here more often then consider it done." My fingers traced the curve of her back as her head lay on my shoulder.

She pressed her lips against my chest, tracing kisses along my neck until they reached my lips before they curved into a smile. I was putty in her hands. Never in my thousand years had I felt anything as strong as this. Her smile almost bringing my dead heart back to life.

"Eric!" Pam banged on the door. "We're being raided!'

Melanie sat up concerned, the sheets barely covering her exposed breasts while I lay back and enjoyed the view.

"So? Call the AVL. They'll get their lawyers on it. I'm busy."

I leaned in closer to her, sniffing her neck before kissing along her shoulder causing her to giggle from the tickling sensations.

"It's not the police… it's the magister."

I sat up quickly, putting my clothes back on. "Get dressed. Hide." I looked at Melanie as she was already up following my lead before I walked out the door.

"They're here for the V, Eric. The Queen set you up." Pam told me as we walked into the main room. People already ripping everything apart.

"Take her." The Magister ordered as his security grabbed Pam.

I dropped my fangs and hissed as they pulled her away from me. I watched as his nose sniff something in the air.

"Do you smell that? It smells like heaven. What is that smell?" He walked around trying to follow the scent. He disappeared out of my sight before coming back pulling a screaming Melanie with him by her hair. His security held her still while the Magister sniffed her neck. I could feel her fear as she tried to get out of their grips.

"Let her go!" I screamed as he dropped his fangs to bite her. "I am who you want. But I have been framed."

The Magister licked her neck, desperately wanting to taste her sweet smelling blood but he pulled away and brought his attention to me.

"Oh, you've got the wrong man. My dog ate my homework. I saw Goody Osburn with the devil. Excuses are one thing I can assure you do not get better with age. Do you deny the blood being sold in your area." He motioned over to his goons who were holding small coolers filled with vials of V.

"Not on my orders." I answered truthfully.

"Then on whose? The Queen's?" He motioned for his guards to wrap Pam up with Silver, her screams filling the room. "What shall it be, sheriff? Desecration of the blood or treason against your regent? Both the amongst the most dire of crimes" He looked at Pam, a sadistic smirk on his face as he took the silver end of his cane and ran it down her chest, peeling off the skin.

I stepped forward, powerless to help in any way as Melanie looked on horrified, screaming "Stop!"

"It was Bill Compton!" Pam screamed out in pain and looked at me.

"It's true!" I went with it. "He's gone missing. You've seen yourself how easily he betrays our kind for personal gain. I believe he is behind this and I am gathering evidence to bring him to you. Now let me finish my work."

I could feel Melanie's anger with me but I could also feel Pam's pain and fear. If it took framing Bill Compton to release both of them, then that's what would have to happen. He noticed me looking at Melanie and approached her, his hand stroking her cheek before she pulled it away.

"They say the loss of a loved one is almost as bad as the loss of a child. Both of the deepest of despair." Both women looked at me as he spoke. "Two days, Mr. Northman or they both die."


	11. Chapter 11

**_Eric:_**

"Your majesty, I confess." I turned back to him after being blindsided by Bill. "I sold the blood at my queen's command and accused Bill to protect her. So what do I do now? Unless I give the Magister Compton, he'll murder my progeny."

"Darling, that's so sad." Edgington's partner turned to him.

Russell growled, standing from the table. "The Magister is a nasty little anachronistic toad. A ridiculous remnant of the middle ages. The only power he has over us is the power we give him. There may be a way to solve all of our problems. Sleep here." He turned to me.

"You're more than welcome." His boyfriend smirked.

"How can I refuse?"

I had to play the game. Edgington was the oldest vampire still around, even older than Godric. I needed him and whatever plan he was coming up with. I couldn't bring up Melanie. If he knew I cared for a human, it would make him question me and that wasn't something I could afford. Not after he'd already caught me lying about Compton.

It was good to know that Bill was here on his own accord. With him in Jackson, he'd confirmed Sookie was no longer his and it only made it easier to hand him to the magister without Melanie's resentment. He held no ties to Sookie Stackhouse any longer and in my eyes that was the only reason he'd remained alive.

* * *

 ** _Melanie:_**

"Your bleeds are gone." I looked over at Pam, leaning my head against my arm as I struggled for balance.

The Magister had gone to rest with all but two of his security hours ago, leaving Pam and I chained in Eric's torture wheel in the basement. I still hadn't wrapped my mind about how I'd gotten into this predicament but I had to hold it together. I was not going to die in the basement of a vampire bar. I don't know what Eric planned to come back with or if he could even prove that Bill was somehow responsible for this but we needed to have faith.

Pam looked at the guards on the stairs behind us before looking at me shaking her head. "It must be getting dark again."

I sighed, watching as she wiped the blood from her ear with her shoulder, unable to use her hands. "Do you think he'll let us go if Eric does find Bill?"

"No fucking clue."

Pam was usually pretty short with me. Most days I couldn't be bothered to deal with her attitude but if she wasn't going to sleep, I wasn't going to sit here and bore myself to death before he even came back.

"So why did Eric turn you?"

"You really think this is time for bonding?" She turned her head to look at me.

"Ladies!" The magister's voice rang from the stairs.

Both of us stood straighter as we watched him come down the stairs. He grabbed one of the poles on the wheel and pushed it, causing us to spin around. I could feel my stomach turning and he just looked amused.

"What shall we do until Mr. Northman comes back?" He chimed as he pulled the wheel to a stop. "I know, why don't I see how close I can bring you to death, I've always been curious as to who feels more pain humans or vampires?"

My eyes widened as we watched his guards hand him a pair of gloves before they laid a large case on the table. He opened it to show a large collection of silver knives.

"You told him he had two days. You gave him your word you wouldn't kill us." I reminded him, my voice full of panic.

"I don't plan on killing you, but you'll be begging me too by the time I'm finished with you."

He turned to look at the table, carefully going through his choices before picking out a rather sharp knife. He pressed the silver against Pam's exposed stomach and she screamed out in pain. A smirk curved onto his lips as he turned to me, ripping open my shirt before he sliced the blade into my stomach, dragging it down. I screamed out trying to get away but I couldn't.

He brought the blade to his lips and licked my blood from it. His fangs dropped and in an instant he was in front of me, pulling my hair back to expose my neck before he sank them in.

* * *

 ** _Eric:_**

A sharp pain in my chest almost brought me to my knees. It was Pam and Melanie. They were in pain. That son of a bitch was torturing them.

The front doors opened and a familiar voice yelling caught my attention. I followed the noise to see Sookie being thrown to a security guard while Bill was tossed to the ground.

"Well, guess who turned out to be completely unworthy of our trust." Russell said as he walked over to his husband.

"No!" He said in surprise.

"Why?" Lorena walked in from the other room. "What's happened?"

"He's been hiding something very interesting from us all." Russell addressed the room.

Bill snapped a railing from the staircase and staked one of the guards then jumped over Edgington's shoulders to stake him. With as little as a shrug, Edgington tossed him into the ceiling like a rag doll and watched as he fell onto the stairs.

"Bill!" Sookie screamed.

"Are you serious?" Russell laughed. "I'm almost 3,000 years old!"

Sookie tried to run past him to go to Bill but I got between them.

"Eric, get her out of here, please!" Compton begged.

I grabbed her arm, dragging her to Edgington. "I wouldn't let go of this if I were you. I don't know what it is but it's quite valuable."

"I will never forgive you for this Eric Northman!" Sookie protested as I held onto her.

"Oh," I smiled. "It thinks we're equals."

Edgington chuckled. "Oh, but it's wrong. Isn't it?"

"Eric, what the fuck!?" She tried to pull away.

"Indeed." I agreed, spinning Sookie around. "I haven't had the pleasure of tasting it yet, but all my instincts say it would be quite extraordinary.

"Do you care nothing about our home?!" Talbot stepped forward.

"Not now, Talbot"

"WHEN!?" He yelled before storming upstairs.

Russell excused himself to deal with his partner. He gave orders to Lorena to kill Bill Compton but without him, I couldn't get Melanie and Pam. Compton could die after that for all I cared. Edgington was going to. I'd make sure of that. Seeing my father's crown on his display case solidified my suspicions.

I held my chest almost falling over in pain again before catching myself on the mantel of the fireplace.

"So all that stuff about caring about me, that was just crap?" She continued.

"I have never said I cared about you." I paced back and forth, trying to come up with anyway to take care of this whole thing.

"You big phony. Big hat, no cattle."

"Do you mind? I'm trying to think here."

"I thought you said my life was to valuable to throw away."

"You are valuable, but not to me."

"Sookie, I'm risking everything to tell you this because you mean so much -." She mocked in a deeper voice.

I leaned forward so we were face to face and she leaned back in fear. "You mean nothing to me. Understand? Nothing. The only reason you're still alive is because of your sister. If it were up to me, I would've left you for dead after your first fuck up with the maenad. So spare me your narcissistic babbling. I'm very close to getting something I've wanted since I was still human. Do not get in my way."

"Does she even know what you're up to? She would hate you just as much as I do if she ever found out what you're doing to me and to Bill."

She was right, but her life was worth more to me than anyone here and I wasn't going to let her sister ruin any of this.

 **OOO**

"Shouldn't we have taken exit I-12?" I looked at Russell as we drove past the exit.

"Oh we're not going to Shreveport." He chuckled. "Don't worry. We'll deal with your magister problem in time."

Fucking shit. I don't know how much longer I could wait for this. The two had been in constant pain for the last day and a half. The only time I wasn't feeling anything was during the day when the Magister must've been resting but now it was back.

The car pulled to a stop in front the queen's mansion. Edgington was out and killing most of her guards before I'd even opened the door. I helped with a few before following him inside. I could hear her protesting before I slammed her to the floor by her throat.

I chuckled as she dropped her fangs. "Oh, I am older and stronger than you. I only submitted in the past because of respect. But you framed me! So I renounce any and all allegiance to you. I am his now."

"I refuse to grant you -"

I strengthened my grip causing her to gasp for air. "I will rip your head off and throw it into the pool."

Russell called me off of him and I stood, walking back over to him.

"So," He smirked. "Yes or no."

"Goddamit." She let out a defeated sigh as she stood. Crossing her arms over her chest like the brat that she was.

"Splendid! Sun will be up soon. We'll sleep here and we'll drop by Fangtasia on the way back to Jackson."

"As you wish."

* * *

 ** _Melanie:_**

"Come on blondie, stay with me. " I could vaguely hear Pam's voice.

The magister had been torturing us every waking hour and since that first taste of my blood, he hadn't stopped drinking from me. Unlike Pam though, I didn't heal. He hadn't even bothered to close up my wounds with his blood. I could barely keep my eyes open and my heartbeat was so slow that I couldn't hold myself up anymore. The only thing keeping me standing was the chains attached to my wrists. He had felt no pity or no sense of mercy as he peeled off pieces of our flesh. Picking and probing at the wounds for his own enjoyment. I had no idea what I looked like and if it hadn't been for Pam trying to talk to me every few minutes, I wasn't sure I was even alive.

"Oh, there's no use." The magister came around, yanking my head back by my hair. "As proven time and time again, humans cannot hold up like we can."

"Enough!" A loud voice caused my hair to be let go of, letting my head fall forward again.

"Eric!" Pam said relieved.

I could feel the relief hit my body but the amount of pain I was in caused me to whimper.

"Mr. Northman. It's only enough if Bill Compton's with you. Is he?"

"No magister but the queen of Louisiana is."

I heard a couple more voices enter before the conversation got louder. Familiar hands cupped my cheeks trying to make eye contact but I could barely keep conscious. Eric moved his hands from my face to my chains but the of magister's angry tone made him stop.

"They stay!" He yelled.

After more talking and yelling, my chains were removed rapidly and I felt myself free fall to the ground before falling into Eric's arms.

"Melanie, babe." He patted my cheek to wake me. I could hear him talking to Pam before his wrist was pressed against my lips. "Come on, drink. Babe. You need to drink."

I drank hungrily, partially to feel better, partially out of starvation. The two spoke in a different language above me before they were interrupted.

"Alright, now that that's done. Off to Jackson we go. Bring Ms. De Beaufort with you. "

"All due respect your majesty, I'd like to stay here." Pam spoke out.

"Pam is very attached to her pet." Eric stroked my hair.

Pet? If I had any energy at all I would've used it to knock some sense into him.

"Yes." Pam agreed. "The magister almost drained her. Not even Eric's blood is healing her fast enough."

"And who is this?" He asked, his hands moving my face side to side to get a better look at me. "She smells delicious."

"Tammy." Pam answered quickly. "She's a Fangtasia employee."

"Fine. You stay here with your toy. Northman, You come with me." He said as his voice got farther and farther away.

"Watch her. Anything happens. You let me know." He whispered to Pam before leaning down and pressing his lips against my forehead. "I'm so sorry."


	12. Chapter 12

_**Eric:**_

"We need sanctuary." I said as I rushed to change my blood stained shirt. "Where's Melanie?"

Pam gasped at my arrival as she pulled her shirt over her head. "My god. What have you done?"

"Where is she?" I repeated.

"She's in your bedroom. She still hasn't healed. What did you do Eric?"

"I staked a vampire. The lover of Russell Edgington." I paced as I wiped the remaining blood from my chest.

"Are you insane?!"

"Where can we go?

Running her fingers through her hair, she looked around nervously. "We need a home. A human home would be safest. Melanie's? We've both been invited."

"No!" I pointed at her. "Out of the question."

I wasn't going to risk leading any more danger her way. Especially not Edgington.

"You never panic!" She said noticing my erratic behavior. "Should I be panicking?"

The doors opened and we turned to see Ginger, coming in.

"Ginger dear." I smiled at her. "Where do you live?"

"Across the river in Bossier, why?" She batted her eyelashes at me.

"We need your house." Pam informed her. "Now-ish."

"Because of the V-Feds?"

Both of us turned our heads to face her before looking at each other. They were here. It had to be for the magister. Did Russell tell them anything? No. He wouldn't have. He'd want me all to himself. I fixed my hair and walked out with Pam following closely behind me.

"I'm sorry Ms. Flannigan. The bar is closed." I smiled.

She smirked knowingly. "Thank you, I already ate. True Blood only of course. Can't stay out of trouble can you? The VRA is two states away from ratification. I should be kissing asses in Oregon, not cleaning up after you in FUCKING Louisianna!"

"Oh, I promise. There is nothing amiss in my area." I crossed my arms.

"Officers silver him." She ordered the men behind her. They placed a silver chain on my shoulder, the pain bringing me down to my knees as Ginger screamed behind us. "I hope you don't mind us having a look around."

She motioned her guards to sit me down while the rest of them searched the place. Pam stood against the bar, watching as they scattered throughout the rooms. She wouldn't find anything. The place had been wiped clean and every square foot had been bleached.

One of the men came out holding Melanie by her arm. Her wounds were still visible though mostly closed up. Not even my blood could heal her quick enough. Not after all the blood she'd lost at the hands of the Magister. Whatever shit it got me into, it was worth it knowing he was dead after what he did to her.

"Let go of me!" She pulled her arm away as they pushed her over to Pam and went back to searching. Her eyes met mine and she ran over, wrapping her arms around my neck. "What the fuck is going on? Are you okay?"

I pulled her in closer, hugging her body against mine as I sniffed her sweet scent. "I'm fine. Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

"I'll be okay." She pulled away to look at me. "Is he-"

"Well isn't this touching? Can't say I didn't see it coming." Nan came from around the corner. "Ms. Stackhouse, please have a seat over by Ms. De Beaufort."

Melanie looked at her before looking at me for confirmation. I nodded and she got up walking over to Pam.

"The downstairs is clean." Flanagan continued.

"Well, I told you there was nothing."

"It's been wiped."

"Well I'm a Virgo. I like to be neat."

"Your screeching fang-cushion of a barmaid, who's been glamoured so much she can't even remember her own last name, does know that no one ever goes down there with so much as a mop and a promise. Suddenly it's as sterile as an operating room." She leaned her arms on the back of another chair as she looked at me.

"It doesn't prove anything." I shook my head.

"If only we had a magister to decide that." She retorted before chuckling. "Relax. It's not like you killed someone. Just need your official statement."

She sat down on the chair across from me. Her henchmen setting up two webcams on either side of her as she put on her bluetooth headset to make a call to the authority.

I had to think of something to tell them. Edgington was three times my age. I could not take him alone. I wasn't so sure the authority could either but it would get the heat off me if they were looking for him.

Looking at the camera, I figured it was worth a shot. I told them how Russell killed the Magister. I told them how he fed his wolves with V to do his bidding. I told them how he didn't recognize the authority and how I wanted him to die by my hands. I even told them about how he killed my family.

The camera's turned back to Nancy. "Yes, I understand. I'll fly out to Portland immediately."

"What? Is that it?" I asked standing as she stood.

"The authority will review your statement. Until then, you and Ms. De Beaufort are on lockdown. Ms. Stackhouse, I suggest you say your goodbyes now and run along home."

Melanie stood, walking over to my side and placing a hand on my shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Fine, have it your way." She shrugged us off and walked out followed by her minions.

I turned to face Melanie, placing my hands on her arms. "She's right Melanie. You have to leave. If Edgington finds me, he'll kill us and put you and your sister in a display case. It's only a matter of time."

"Alright. I need to know what the fuck is going on right now, Eric Northman. I've been through two raids now, held captive, tortured, and drained and now the authority and a 3000 year old vampire are after you and somehow my sister and I are involved? If you don't tell me what's going so help me God-" She backed away pointing her finger at me.

"Fine." I interrupted her, smirking at her feistiness.

It seemed like she was finally back to herself. After the condition I found her in last night, I was surprised we could help her at all. I couldn't bare to see her like that again. Not by The authority's hands and certainly not by Edgington's.

"Edgington is the oldest living vampire. He's the king of Mississippi and he's the one leading the wolves who took Bill. Your sister followed him there and, as per usual, got herself caught. He knows Sookie is more than human and he expects to find out exactly what that is. As far as he knows, you're just an employee at Fangtasia but he knows Sookie has a sister and he's bound to find out it's you now that he's after me."

"Why?" She crossed her arms. "Why is he after you?."

"Edgington is the vampire who killed my parents. Tonight, I killed his vampire lover."

Pam placed her hands on her hips, walking over to us. "I've been with you for over a century and she knew that story before me?"

* * *

 _ **Melanie:**_

"You didn't need to know" Eric told her. "What good would it do to share my pain with you? To have you carry that burden for a hundred years?"

"Then why tell her?" She threw her arm out at me.

"Because I don't live nearly as long as either of you." I said matter of factly. "Did you get Sookie out?"

"No. I couldn't without risking not making it back to the two of you." He answered truthfully but he wasn't proud of it.

"How could you let him keep her?! She'll get herself killed, Eric!" I yelled out as my voice echoed across the bar.

"Listen to me." He grabbed my arms. "I get that you love your sister, but I love you. I could feel every single thing happening to both you and to Pam, every time that sick fuck laid a hand on you. I was not letting anything deter me from getting back to you. What I did to Edgington after that was pure vengeance that I do not regret."

Did he just say he loved me?

"Let go of me." I got out of his grip and took a seat in a chair. "I have to find Sookie."

"Fuck Sookie!" His voice boomed but I ignored him.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate.

" _Sook, where are you? Are you okay?!"_

" _Mel? I'm okay. I'm home now. Where are you?"_

" _Oh thank god! What about Bill? And Russell whatever-the-fuck his name is?"_

" _I don't want to talk about Bill Compton. Where the hell are you?!"_

" _Lockdown at Fangtasia. Something about the vampires authority."_

" _What the hell did he get you involved in?"_

" _Long Story. I'll be home as soon as I can. It's almost daylight."_

"What in the hell is she doing now?" Pam sighed, frustratingly.

"Is your sister okay?" Eric again ignored her to talk to me after I stood.

I nodded. "Something happened with her and Bill but she's home. I have to check on her. Do you think they'll sleep when the sun comes up?"

He looked behind me at the guards standing by the door and nodded. "I don't know, but there's a door in the basement that leads outside. We have a staircase down there from our office."

"Okay. And Eric?" I looked up at him, stepping closer wrapping my arms around his waist. "I love you too."

 **OOO**

"Sookie?" I unlocked the front door. "Sook?"

Our house was destroyed again. Glass from broken windows, pieces of wood from broken tables shattered on the floor. Growing more concerned, I walked up the stairs to see the same shit all over the bedroom. What the fuck happened here?

"Sookie!" I ran through the rest of the house until I saw her stepping out of the bathroom having just showered.

"Mel." She ran up to hug me. The second we touched we both looked into each other's memories and pulled away quickly.

"Oh my god. Are you okay?!" We asked simultaneously.

"How could he drain you?!" I asked angered by the image of him attacking her in the van.

"He - he didn't mean it. He had lost so much blood from Lorena's torture. How the hell did you get involved with the Authority?! You need to stay away from Eric Northman. He's not a good man, Melanie. He left me there for dead!"

"You saw why! I was dying and they had Pam too! At least he didn't try to kill me."

"I will never fucking forgive that man!"

"Enough!" I yelled, ending our banter. "Edgington is out to get us Sook. He doesn't know I'm your sister yet but he knows you have a sister and he has it in his head that we're more than human. He's going to come find us."

"He was here a couple of hours ago." She sighed. "His wolves did this. He gives them V in exchange for their loyalty. They came in here looking for me. He almost killed Bill until he just up and flew away."

"Eric - he has this vendetta against Edgington. Fucker killed his parents when he was human so last night Eric killed Edgington's boyfriend." I admitted, walking to the kitchen to make us a pot of coffee. "How are we in the middle of all of this?"

* * *

 _ **Eric:**_

The doorknob jiggled behind me and I opened the door to let Melanie back in. Pam was still asleep and those goons were still outside. I couldn't sleep. There was way too much at stake here but at least she was back safely. She'd showered and done her hair in those waves that made her look so innocent with just a light touch of makeup, not as heavy as Pam's. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close to me as she rested her head on my chest.

"Are they still here?" She asked, lifting her head to look at me?

"Yea. By the door." I nodded.

She sighed, pulling away from me as she took a seat on the couch. "Sookie was attacked by Edgington last night. Said he would've killed both her and Bill but then he suddenly up and left. I think he felt it when you killed his partner."

"I know he felt it. Just how I felt all of Pam's pain. She's my progeny." I admitted, crossing my arms as I leaned against the desk.

"Did you know Bill almost killed Sookie? Damn near drank her dry."

"What? Bill Compton?" My eyes widened hearing the news.

"Yup, and she's still with that motherfucker." She nodded before she paused to look at me. "God, you look like shit baby. Have you slept? Eatten?"

"No, but I'm fine."

"Come here." She patted the couch next to her, pulling her hair to the side to expose her neck. "You need to eat."

"No, Melanie. I can't. I won't cause you any more pain than you went through last night." I shook my head, walking to the other side of the room.

"You're no good to me if you starve yourself." She stood, walking over to me as she pinned me back against the wall. "Now eat. I'm trusting you with this."

I looked down at the seriousness in her eyes before I turned us around, lifting her up against the wall before sinking my fangs into her. A small gasp left her lips as she wrapped her legs around my waist, her hands brushing my hair back as I fed.

God she tasted heavenly. More than any human or other being. There was something much much more to Melanie but whatever it was, Russell Edgington was never going to get to her. Her blood was rejuvenating, almost like it got you high without ever touching drugs. It took every ounce of my strength to pull away.

"Eric." Pam said, coming out of her coffin.

"I hear them." I said as I pricked my finger, closing up the bite marks on Melanie's neck. I pulled on a shirt before the three of us walked back out to the main room to see Nan walking in with more of her troops.

"The ruling is as follows:" She read from the script. "The authority disavows, knowledge of our interview, your statement, or indeed, this ruling itself. None of this ever happened."

"What the fuck does that mean?" Melanie asked,

"Always a pleasure Ms. Stackhouse. Missing royals, dead magister. It's political tar baby. No one wants to touch it. Not with the VRA this close to ratification."

"Russell will not stop killing." I pointed out, tossing her paper on the table. "What if the human public learns of it?"

"That's why you're going to take care of it." She crossed her arms. "Quietly, discreetly, and most importantly of all, completely off the books. You wanted revenge, it's yours."

"What resources are you going to give me?

"None. We're not going near it." She grabbed her things to leave.

She was out of her fucking mind. "How do you expect me to kill him? He's three times my age."

Stopping, she turned around to walk back towards me. "Listen you whiny little bitch. The only link between Sophie-Ann, Russell, and that Magister is you. You brought us this steaming pile of shit and you're going to make it go away, bring me his fangs or I'll have yours."

She walked out with all of her members, leaving the rest of us there stunned. How the fuck could I kill him with no back up. This was supposed to lead the authority to him, not leave me stranded with an ancient angry vampire.

"I would like nothing more than to see someone stake that bitch." Melanie broke the silence as she walked around the bar to pour herself a drink. "Here's what happens now - you guys pack whatever shit you need and we bring you back to my place. He knows where Sookie lives but he still couldn't get inside. The only reason he had Bill was because that fucker went outside to him. You'll be safe there."

"No! We're not leading him to you." I protested.

"Eric - we're sitting ducks here. He's been to Fangtasia, this is the one place he expects you to be." Pam pushed.

"We can figure it out from there." Melanie took a shot of her whiskey. "Now move."

"Look." Pam turned up the volume on the tv.

Russell Edgington interrupted the evening news by ripping out the anchorman's spinal cord on live tv. We all watched as he licked the blood from his hand before addressing the audience.

"You see how quickly I can kill?" He asked. "Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Russell Edgington and I have been a vampire for nearly 3000 years. Now, the American Vampire League wishes to perpetrate the notion that we are just like you. I suppose is a few small ways we are. We're narcissists. We care only about getting what we want, no matter what the cost, just like you. Global warming, perpetual war, toxic waste, child labor, torture, genocide… that's a small price to pay for your SUV's, your flat screen TV's, your blood diamonds, your designer jeans, your absurd, garish McMansions! Futile symbols of permanence to quell your quivering spineless souls. But no. In the end, we are nothing like you. We are immortal. Because we drink the true blood. Blood that is living, organic, and human. And that is the truth the AVL wishes to conceal from you. Because let's face it, eating people is tough to sell these days. So they put their friendly faces to pass their beloved VRA, but make no mistake! Mine is the true face of vampires! Why would we seek equal rights? You are not our equals. We will eat you after we eat your children. Now time for the weather, Tiffany."

Holy shit.


	13. Chapter 13

**_Melanie:_**

"That's the man after you?" I pointed at the screen as the madman finished his rant.

Eric and Pam shared a look before he nodded his head. It was clear he was concerned over this. I could see the fear behind his eyes as he tried to come up with any plan to take him down but so far he'd come up empty. That man was a lunatic who just took everything the vampires had been working for and shit on it. Maybe the Authority would have a say now instead of just backing out and pretending none of this happened.

"The Authority's going to acknowledge this now." Pam said, clicking the TV off.

"That still doesn't help us. Melanie - " He turned to me as I took another sip of my drink. "I want you and Pam to go to your house - I'm asking that you both stay there until I can get this figured out. I refuse to take you two down for something I've done."

"Eric - no." Pam argued.

"She's right." I nodded, coming around the bar to stand before him. "I'm not leaving your side. You can't do this alone."

"Melanie!" He yelled, causing me to jump slightly. "For once just fucking listen!"

I shook my head, placing my hands on his hips as I looked up at him. "You stay, I stay. You can yell, kick, and scream, all you want but my mind is made up."

Pam smirked, crossing her arms as she walked up to us. "Looks like you've met your match."

Eric looked down at me, his arms wrapping around my neck in defeat as he rested his chin on my head and took a deep breath. "I'll figure something out. I gotta make a phone call."

He kissed my forehead and let go, walking into his office.

"I've never seen him so worried." Pam broke our silence as she took a seat and filed her nails.

I shrugged, grabbing the entire bottle before taking a seat across from her. Taking a sip, I sighed. "Are you scared?"

"How can I not be? If a thousand year old vampire is scared, we don't stand a fucking chance."

"Hi, I'm looking for Eric Northman." An older man walked through the front door in a well tailored suit and a briefcase.

"I'm here." Eric came from his office door. "Please, have a seat."

Without saying anything to either of us, Eric sat down across from the man, explaining to him that they needed to set up a will immediately. We watched as he pulled out a stack of papers from his briefcase before they started.

"I give all my residences, subject to any mortgages or encumbrances there on to -?" He asked.

"My progeny, Pamela Swynford De Beaufort." Eric answered.

"Why are you doing this?" Pam stood up, walking beside him.

"Because Pam, Russell Edgington was maybe the oldest and strongest vampire on the planet before he eviscerated a newsman on live TV. Now he is also the craziest and his rage is directed at me. Do the math."

"So what?" I interjected. "You're not even going to put up a fight?"

"Of course I am." He answered, not turning to face us. "But until I come up with a brilliant plan to beat him, I'm covering my bases."

"Eric - "

Pam tried once more before he turned around angrily.

"Unless you have a plan to defeat Russell Edgington - do not distract me."

"Article four: I hereby give my residuary estate to - ?" The lawyer continued.

"Divided evenly between my progeny, Pamela Swynford De Beaufort and Melanie Elizabeth Stackhouse."

My eyes widened at the sound of my name. He would leave me half of his money but only in his death? What kind of deal was that?

"I don't want your money Eric." I protested, stepping forward but he ignored me.

"Your signature requires two witnesses, but the witness cannot be a beneficiary to your estate."

"Yvetta!" Eric called out an an unfamiliar woman came from the back room to him. "Are you mentally competent and under no duress at this time."

"Yes." She responded in confusion.

"Good, watch this."

Eric signed his name then took her hand to sign her name under the witness line before turning the papers back to the man.

The lawyer stood, shaking his hand before putting the papers back into his briefcase. "Well, congratulations ladies. According to the state of Louisiana, should Mr. Northman meet the true death, you will become extremely wealth."

* * *

 ** _Eric:_**  
My thoughts were racing a million miles per minute. There was still so much that had to be done but at least Pam and Melanie would be okay. I knew Melanie would try to argue with me but she'd have to accept it. There was no way I was going to leave this earth without making sure she was taken care of.

"You're giving everything to her and this random bitch!?" Yvetta shrieked, pointing towards Pam and Melanie. "You promised you'd take care of me!"

"I promised you a job and good sex. That is all!" I said trying to hold my cool.

"So these last few months meant nothing to you? I meant nothing to you?" Her eyes filled with tears.

"Less than nothing you gold-digging whore!" I snapped.

She stomped away crying. I turned only to be met by Melanie looking up at me angry and confused. I had forgotten how much commitment meant to humans. She was a smart girl, it was clear she had figured out I'd been fucking Yvetta but it meant nothing to me. I'm was just a way to keep my mind from thinking about her but to see her try to hold herself from falling apart was pulling at me dead heart strings.

"Melanie -" I stepped closer but her hand made contact with my cheek before she stormed out the front door.

The slap itself didn't hurt, the pain I sensed from her did.

"You can be such a cold hearted bastard." Pam shook her head before walking to the back.

Great. Just what I fucking needed.

 **OOO**

"How did you finds us?" Bill Compton sighed as he opened the door to Jason's house.

"Oh, it was really not that hard." I smirked. My eyes wandered over his shoulder to see Sookie resting peacefully on the couch. "I know what they are."

His face expressed surprise before motioning for us to walk outside. Complying, I rested my hands into my pockets as the two of us walked down the darkened path. "So is it true Sookie's blood let you walk in the sunlight?" Again his reaction told me everything I needed to know. "Oh? Sophie-Anne never even told you why she sent you for Sookie."

"I returned to Bon Temps because it is my ancestral home." He defended as we came to a stop.

"Oh, spare me your lies. I'll just find out on my own."

A growl came from his throat. "Sookie is mine."

"She won't be if you're dead." I warned him. "Is it true?"

The younger vampire thought over his options before speaking again. "No. The blood works for a few minutes, if that. And you burn a bit slower than you would do without it. But you still burn."

My thoughts raced once more. This information could easily give me an advantage over Edginton, even if it meant risking Sookie for Melanie's safety. Either way, Bill Compton didn't need to know.

"Well, that's gonna disappoint Sophie-Anne." I lied.

"Well, I will die the true death before I let her get her hands on anyone else, for that matter."

"Russell will come for her."

"Well, you should know, since you're now his butt boy." he scoffed.

"No longer. I killed Talbot."

"So that's why he went all medieval on TV. Well thanks Eric. You just put our cause back a thousand years." He paused noticing my lack of reaction. "He must be after you for that. Why are you even here?"

"I'm trying to save Sookie." I lied again.

"Oh give me a break." He seethed. "You don't care about Sookie. You left us in Russell's house to die! What is the fucking truth for once?!"

"The truth!" I leaned down to get in his face. "Why don't you tell Sookie the fucking truth, if you really love her?"

"What truth?" We heard Sookie's voice approaching us before we took a step back from each other.

"The truth about what you are. Which I've already told you." He lied as she came around to stand by his side.

"Why are you here?" She looked about at me. "To pretend like you care about my safety so you can sell me out to Russell again, or is it to the Queen this time? "

I smirked at her stupidity as guilt riddled Bill's face. "You really believe he's trustworthy?"

"All I know is that I sure as hell can't trust you. And now that I know what I am and what you want from me and Melanie - " She paused, looking around us for a moment before turning back towards me. "Melanie - where is she? Has anyone told her what we are? Why isn't she with you?"

"She's fine. I can feel it. But no. She has no idea."

"What did you do to her? Where is she?"

I rolled my eyes at her faux concern before taking off on them. Fact of the matter was, Melanie was safer anywhere else but near Bill Compton and even I. Russell had no idea who Melanie Stackhouse was or even what she looked like. All he knew was that Sookie had a sister. The longer she could stay hidden and far away from the situation, the safer she would be.

* * *

 ** _Melanie:_**

"Hey, Sam." I stood on the front porch of his house, smiling as best I could at him as he opened the door.

"Mel?" He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "You okay?"

"Is it - would it be okay if I crashed on your couch? Just for tonight."

"Yeah!" He nodded, stepping out the way so I could walk inside. "Yeah. What's going on?"

I took a deep breath as I took a seat on his couch. I rested my arms on my elbows before leaning my head into my palms. It was taking everything in me not to break down all over again but I had to be stronger than that. I needed to pull my shit together. Eric Northman did not deserve these tears. Not after finding out he'd been fucking one of his employees. I mean, sure, we were never officially an item. I didn't think it would hurt so bad knowing he'd been doing his own thing - but to see the other woman in person was something else. She looked just as hurt as I did. He'd made her promises too - what the fuck was all this?

"Mel? Hey hey hey!" I felt Sam's hand on my chin as he lifted my head to look at him. "It's alright, darlin' no need to cry. What happened?"

I rested my head on his shoulder as he wiped a tear from my eye. "I don't feel like talking about it Sam. I just don't want to be around none of them right now."

He nodded in understand. "Okay. It's alright. I won't push. Does Sook know you're here?"

"No." I shook my head.

"Alright, I'll grab you a blanket and some hard liquor. You look like you need it."


	14. Chapter 14

_**Eric:**_

This wasn't like me. It had never been like me. Sitting awake in the middle of the day worrying about a human. I could still feel her. Feel all of her rage and pain but it was mixed with a deep sadness. Hurt. I'd felt it all night and it hadn't lessened throughout the day. I shouldn't have cared. Yvetta was nothing to me. Less than nothing. Regardless of what she must've thought, she was simply a stripper for me to fuck so I wouldn't be so hellbent over Melanie. Much like I was now.

I should've been thinking about Russell Edgington. His revenge plot against me. Preparing to fight him and come up with any plan to kill him but I couldn't. I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd done to her and that was more dangerous than any 3000 year old vampire.

The door of my office swinging open caught my attention. Sookie stormed in followed by Pam who half-heartedly tried to stop her.

"She insisted." She shrugged.

"She always does."

I nodded for Pam to leave and she turned, shutting the door behind her to give us privacy. Sookie stood confidently, hands on her hips as she looked down at me.

"Where is she? She won't answer me."

"If she wanted you to know, she would've told you herself."

"You hurt her didn't you? That's why she's not here. That's why you're awake. I knew she was over her head getting involved with you."

I stood abruptly, frightening her at the sound of the chair hitting the ground. "Don't pretend like you know anything about our involvement." I growled, leaning down to face her. "About what I have for her - what I feel for her. This is about Bill. Deep down you know you shouldn't trust him. That's why you're here."

"Okay." She admitted, her voice seemingly less in control. Her eyes darted to my lips lustfully as I hovered over her tiny figure. "Tell me why."

"That's between you and Bill. Melanie and I -" I paused, trying to think of what I actually wanted to say. "There are forces beyond even my control and if I meet the true death without having seen her smile one more time - that would be my biggest regret."

Her hand reached up, cupping my cheek softly as she looked up at me with concern. "Why does it sound like you're saying goodbye?"

"Because I am." I stepped back, standing straighter as I looked at her.

"I get it, she's irresistible and intoxicating, but keeping things from me does not help your cause. She doesn't know what she is. She could be in danger. Tell me why I shouldn't trust Bill."

She did have a point. If Russell found out before her, she'd have no way of defending herself.

I opened my mouth to speak but the door opened and Pam came in. "Blah blah, vampire emergency, blah." She mumbled motioning for me to follow her out.

I looked down at Sookie before walking out and shutting the door behind us. "This better be good."

"You're too busy signing wills and sulking over your precious Melanie instead of seeing the opportunity in front of you." Pam whispered harshly.

"There is no opportunity." I shook my head. "It won't work."

"We know Russell wants Sookie. Give her to him to save your own skin."

"No."

"He's going to get her anyway, sooner or later. Then he'll go after your human too. Who cares if she's upset. At least this way you can be alive to protect her."

"No." I replied again. "I won't do that to her. She'd never forgive me."

Pam's eyes filled with tears as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You're choosing a human over yourself, Eric? Over me?"

"Your lack of sentiment has always been your most admirable quality. Do not disappoint me now!" I seethed, getting more and more angry by the second.

"You would have said and done anything to save, Godric." She defended. "I have no interest in inheriting your farm on Irlande. That place is a windy shit hole. If you're not going to give him Sookie, at least figure out how to use her and fast."

She turned to storm away from me. Something I'd gotten a lot of on the last 24 hours. Yet she did have a point. I'd give away Sookie for Melanie anyday. Edgington still had no idea who Sookie's sister was. If I could get him to think the other Stackhouse was overseas, maybe he'd gladly accept Sookie and go off elsewhere looking for her.

But I'd already hurt Melanie enough. There would be no turning back from having her sister killed. I truly was between a rock and a hard place, but I couldn't let Sookie out of my sights until I could figure out what to do.

"Where the hell have you been?" She asked as I entered my office.

"I needed to think."

"I am not some kind of prisoner you could just lock up anytime you feel like taking off."

"Actually you are."

I smirked seeing the confusion in her face before throwing her over my shoulder. She screamed, punching my back as hard as she could but she knew it was no use.

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you!" She screamed trying to hang onto anything she could get her hands on.

"You were right." I dropped her on the floor in the basement before locking one of the metal collars around her neck.

"Eric!" She screeched as I walked upstairs, locking the door behind me.

* * *

 _ **Melanie:**_

Two days sulking at Sam's had been enough. He'd been kind enough to give me the days off and not push for me to open up. Something I wouldn't have gotten at home. Not with Sookie constantly trying to read me. I knew she'd tried to make contact but I couldn't. I needed to be away. Away from that whole group with their never ending drama.

I didn't trust Bill and I thought I could trust Eric but I was severely mistaken. He'd broken something inside of me that I never even knew I had. Words couldn't explain the feeling I had that night. Tears couldn't wash away the pain. Yet somewhere in the back of my mind I had still tried to rationalize it. Eric Northman was never mine. We'd never discussed being together. He was the one who had claimed me but who knows how many other woman he'd claimed. Clearly that other woman had thought he cared for her, look how that turned out.

I was better off alone anyway.

Maybe it was time to talk to Sook again. I knew her trying to trash Eric wouldn't make me feel any better but being around my family would. Except when I entered our house there was nobody there. No Tara. No Sookie. No Jason or Lafayette. The house looked completely abandoned. Where was everybody?

Taking a seat on the couch, I tried hard to concentrate.

" _Sook?"_

" _Help."_

Shit. I felt panic rising inside of me again.

" _What is it? Where are you?"_

" _Fang -"_

Something was wrong. Her thoughts were weak. I could barely hear them. I ran out to the car as fast as I could, the tires screeching as I pulled off down the road. It was already dawn, if vampires were holding her, now would be my chance.

Approaching the lot, an overwhelming smell of burning flesh surrounded me. As I got closer I could see Sookie running out the front door before stopping in front of two bodies on the ground. The car was barely in park as I ran out of it to join her before I came to the realization that it was Eric on the ground. Eric burning right in front of my eyes while Sookie was fine. All anger left my body as I saw him dying before me.

"What the fuck happened?!" I screamed as I kneeled beside him. My arms quickly sliding out of my jacket as I threw it over him.

"He chained himself out here to die with Edgington." Sookie replied as she tried to pull off the handcuffs.

Both men groaned at the pain of silver yanking at their skin.

"Melanie-" Eric groaned breathlessly. "Get out of here."

"Sook, help!" I ignored him as I tried to pull apart the chains. We were running out of time. Eric would vanish in no time just like Godric did. I stood up quickly and concentrated all of my energy on the chain and just like previous times, a ball of light shot out, breaking the cuffs.

"My my - she's the missing sister isn't she." Edgington laughed maliciously behind me. "You were hiding her the whole time."

His laugh sent shivers down my body but I couldn't get distracted now. Using every ounce of energy I could, I grabbed Eric's arms and dragged him into the shade. Sookie opened the door behind me so I could bring him inside.

"Oh thank god!" Pam rushed over to us as I dropped to my knees, resting his head on my lap.

I'd never seen him as weak as this moment right here. I stroked his hair back as he tried to speak but lacked the energy.

"He needs blood. Human blood." She looked between Sookie and I. "He's two weak to drop fang."

"I'll do it." Sookie offered, raising her arm to Bill.

"No. You're a fairy. He won't be able to control himself." He protested.

"He's drank from Melanie before. He's never drained her!"

"For fucks sake." I said, fuming at their bickering at a time like this. I raised my arm to Pam and she quickly punctured my wrist. Placing it against his lips, I rubbing his cheek gently. "Come on drink babe. Please just drink." I whispered.

His hand soon wrapped around my wrist, holding me closely as he drank.

"What is all this about Sookie being a fairy?" I turned to look up at them.

"You are too. Apparently somewhere down our bloodline, one of our ancestors had sex with a fae and now we're half fairy. That's why we can read minds and do that light thing with our hands. That's why Edgington was after us. That's why vampires have found us irresistable. It's our blood."

Bill growled as kneeled down beside us. "And that's why I cannot comprehend why you are saving him. He knew and look what he did."

"What did he do?" I raised my head to look at him.

"He basically served your sister to Edgington on a silver platter."

"To save all of us!" Sookie defended. "I didn't see you jumping to my defense. You are just as guilty as him."

Eric stirred from under me while Sookie and Bill continued to argue.

"Mel -" He whispered, leaning up on his arm.

His free hand rested on my neck, his thumb brushing my cheekbone as he looked up at me apologetically. My lips met his instantly. As angry as I was, almost losing him put everything into perspective. His wounds healed before my eyes and he was okay again. Nothing else mattered.

He sat up, pulling me onto his lap as his arms roamed my body holding me against him. "I love you. I'm so sorry."

"Shh. I love you too. This was the stupidest fucking idea you'd ever had!" I dug my face into his neck, unable to let go.

Everyone got quiet looking at us. Eric pricked his finger to close the holes in my wrist before turning his attention to them.

"Where's Russell?"

"Outside." Sookie answered.

"We have to bring him back in."

"What?" I pulled away looking down at him.

"Are you insane? Why?" Bill questioned.

He returned his eyes to me. "Godric appeared to me and asked me to spare Russell."

"You are insane." He scoffed.

"Sookie -" Eric pleaded.

"You want me to go get the guy who wants to kill us all and bring him inside? Really?"

"Eric, do the world a favor and let that little fuck fry." Pam intervened.

"Why can't Melanie do it!" Bill argued.

"She's been through enough!"

"And Sookie hasn't?!"

Both their fangs dropped as stood toe to toe.

I sighed, "For the love of god. We'll both do it."

After dragging him in, Eric tied him the the stripper pole with chains. He hissed only to have his fang fall out into his hand.

"You're a fool for not killing him." Bill shook his head. "He'll kill all of us."

"Oh, he won't be doing any more killing." He smirked, as he continued to tie the chains.

"Eric, who the fuck are you right now? He killed your family. Rip off his fucking head!" Pam argued.

"Melanie, come hold these chains. together."

As soon as my hands grabbed the metal, Edgington's remaining fang dropped excitedly.

"Don't even think about it." Sookie stepped forward.

"Are you kidding me? It's all I'll think about ever again. I only wish I'd gotten a bite out of her. She smells much, much sweeter."

"Enough." Eric punched him in the side and he coughed out smoke. He removed his gloves and wrapped his arm around my neck to pull me close again.

"You should go to ground." I looked at them. "We'll stay here and watch him.

"I'm not babysitting this psycho while they take a nap!" Sookie protested.

Eric looked down into my eyes, his hand twirling a loose strand of hair on my neck before turning to look at Sookie nodding. "He can't glamour you two. Ginger's coming in later. He would glamour her in a heartbeat. Pam, make one of the guest coffins available for Mr. Compton."

"I'm staying out here with Sookie."

"Suit yourself." He shrugged, before cupping my cheeks in his hands. "If you need anything - anything - you come get me."

"I will, rest up." I leaned up to kiss him.

"I'm not leaving you alone with him." Bill continued.

"Well I really don't want to look at your face right now. Or any of your faces for that matter. Go crawl back into your holes you creepy, cold freaks."

I rolled my eyes at Sookie before walking behind the bar to pour myself a drink.

"You." Eric pointed at her after making a phone call. "Don't stake him."

 **OOO**

Eric and Bill went to bury Edgington. Sookie insisted on us going back home, repeating over and over again how done she was with them. I was still stunned on the fact that we weren't human. That we were fae? How could our parents never have told us? Who else knew?

We'd both showered and changed once we got there. It felt good to feel like myself again. Being at Gran's always made us feel better. I let my hair air dry, changing into a pair of shorts and a loose tank again. All I wanted to do was talk to Eric. We had to figure out what happened. What we were. The lines may have been blurred before but that kind of uncertainty made our lives even more dangerous.

I heard a faint knock on the door downstairs, Sookie and Bill's voices followed but no Eric. My curiosity got the best of me and I walked down a few steps to see them going into the living room. Sookie always acted like such a hardass until he came crawling for forgiveness. After all the shit she'd been talking earlier, I had to see if she'd hold her ground.

"Russell is gone." He said.

"Thank God for small favors." She said cooly.

"Eric as well." My ears shot up as I stepped down further. "I ended him."

"What? Why?" Sookie asked softly.

"You did what?!" I ran down the rest of the way to confront him.

"He tasted you." He looked up at me. "He knew what you two were. Even if Sookie and I were to go our separate ways, I would make sure you two were safe."

"Eric would never -" I shook my head, taking a step back from him. My heart raced as I tried to hold back tears at the thought of him killing Eric.

"Bill Compton." Sookie stood, still in disbelief.

"Sookie -" He interrupted her. "Most vampires are not like me. Even if holding themselves back occurred to them they would probably not be able to."

"That's a lie!" I yelled again, feeling the wetness of tears down my face. "Eric had drank from me. Not once has he pushed the limit. He's a thousand years older than you, if anyone could control themselves it would've been him."

Sookie's face softened like she was actually believing him and he got up to stand in front of her. "I'm not taking any chances. I intend to bring the true death to all that know what you are."

"Russell, Eric -" She mumbled.

"Pam, the queen. And any who discover it in the future."

"Sookie - are you listening to this bullshit!" I threw my arms up in the air in defeat. There she went again, falling into his trap.

"I will do anything to keep you safe. Even if it means me not being part of your life." He continued. "This I swear to you."

"You're a fucking liar!" I screamed out, unable to listen to his lies anymore. "Leave. Leave while you still can. Leave before I fucking stake you!"

"Mel!" She yelled, grabbing me from attacking him.

"I have never loved nor will I ever love as I have loved you." He looked at her before turning to walk towards the door.

"Wait - don't!" Sookie went to run after him, eyes full of tears.

The front door flew open forcefully and we saw Eric coming up our steps coated head to toe in cement. I ran past Sookie and Bill to approach him but froze, noticing his demeanor. With his hands shoved deep into his pockets, he held his calm composure though every fiber of his being wanted to lash out and tear Bill apart.

"Did you tell them you were originally sent by the Queen of Louisiana to procure them because of what they might be?" He said with a smirk.

"What?" I asked, stepping forward to get a good look at Bill.

Sookie did the same. Her eyes watching him carefully as he stared at the ground regretfully trying to come up with something to say.

"I did not know why she wanted you." He looked at her. "As I grew to know you, I purposefully kept you from her."

"Were you ever going to tell me?" She asked, not able to take in what he was admitting to.

Eric turned to look down at me, his hand resting on the crook of my neck as his eyes met me. "That's why I didn't want you to trust him. I had tried to warn her but she wouldn't listen."

"I hoped to someday." Bill answered. "I swear it."

"What about you letting two psychos beat her within an inch of her life so you could feed her your blood the night you met?" Eric chimed in again. "Think she'll forgive you for that?"

Our eyes widened thinking back to that night. He looked murderously at Eric before turning his attention back to a horrified Sookie.

"Is it true?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Sookie -" He took a step closer.

"You son of a bitch." I seethed but Sookie demanded to hear the answer from him.

"Yes." He lowered his gaze.

"He tried to silence me tonight so you would ever know." Eric looked between my sister and I. "He doesn't want to protect you. He only wants to protect himself."

"Get out of my house!" She screamed out. His body was involuntarily pushed out the door as he tried to hold onto the frame. "Don't you ever call me. Don't ever talk to me. Ever! You manipulated me into falling in love with you."

"It is who you are, Sookie, not what you are, that I love, and will love always until I meet the true death." He tried but she wasn't having it.

"LOVE?! You don't even get to use that word! I rescind my invitation!"

"NO!" He yelled as he was flung off of our porch.

Eric stared at him coldly as he dusted himself off. "Oh, and I want my phone back."

After another staredown with Sookie, he disappeared into the night. She looked between Eric and I as tears started flowing down her cheeks.

"Sook - " I sighed but she shook her head and took a few steps back before turning to run up the stairs. The slamming of her door confirming she was in her room.

"I should go -"

"Don't." Eric took my hand, pulling my body against his. "She's a big girl, she'll be okay."

I nodded hesitantly, but followed his lead down the steps. His fingers laced with mine as we walked down the dirt path. There was a lot of information to process but this - this felt nice.

"I - I'm sorry." He said, breaking the silence. "Yvetta - she meant nothing. She was before. Before I knew what these feelings were. When I was trying to figure out what they meant and trying to push you out of my head. I've never had feelings, much less any as strong as this. I didn't know what it was."

"I know." I sighed, looking up at him. "I know I had no right to be mad. We're adults, it was never official. It just fucking sucked seeing her there. Knowing she had feelings for you. Knowing she had shared your touch, your lips, your body."

He stopped us from walking and stepping in front of me. With his hands cupping my jaw softly, his eyes gazed into mine.

"You will never have to share me again. I am yours and you are mine for as long as you shall have me."

"Is that a promise?" I whispered, leaning my head into the comfort of his large hands.

"It's more than just a promise."

Footsteps running past us caught our attention and we turned to see Sookie running madly towards the cemetery. She'd usually visit Gran's grave when she was upset. It made sense for her to go after finding out about Bill.

"For the record." He spoke again, watching Sookie disappear into the trees. "I never would've given her to Russell."

I opened my mouth to speak but the woods suddenly became brightly lit by a ball of light coming from the cemetery before it simply disappeared, darkening everything again. Panic rushed over me as I started to run.

"Sookie?!" I called out breathlessly as my eyes wandered around the area.

Eric quickly checked the surrounding woods before coming back to me.

"She's not here." He shook his head.

How could that be? What was that light? It was like she had vanished into thin air.

"Sookie!"


	15. Chapter 15

_1 year later_

 _ **Melanie**_ **:**

"Hey, uh Mel. It's Jason - you might want to come on home."

"Can't this wait? We're already understaffed." I shook my head as I placed a box of true blood on the bar. Ripping open the top, I placed them one by one inside the refrigerator underneath while trying to keep my phone balanced between my ear and my shoulder.

"No." He answered. "No it can not."

Noticing the shakiness of his tone, I became more alert. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, just please come home. You'll want to see this."

"Alright, darlin'. Hang tight." I hung up and walked to the back to find Sam in his office. "Hey, Jason called. Some sort of emergency at the house. I'll be back as soon as I can."

He sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "You know I work that bar more than you do?"

"Yeah, you also drink more of it than anyone else does too." I smirked as he cracked a smile.

"Fine. Just be careful out there." He waved me off before as I rushed out the door.

It didn't take long to make it home. Everything looked seemingly fine. Nothing out of place except that Jason's squad car was pulled in front but the painters van was no longer there.

"Jason?" I dropped my keys and purse on the mudroom table before walking into the kitchen.

Familiar blonde hair caught my eyes as I entered the kitchen. Jason was at the table looking like he'd just seen a ghost. The woman turned and all breath escaped my body as Sookie stood before me. It'd been 12 months since she'd disappeared.

12 months of rigorous searching and trying to keep up hope that she was still alive. I threw my arms around her, hugging her as tight as I could in case this was all some fucked up dream.

"Where have you been?!" I pulled away, wiping the never ending stream of tears that ran down my cheeks.

"I don't know." She answered truthfully. "I followed my fairy godmother into this other world. I swear I'd only been gone for 10 maybe 15 minutes but Jason told me it's been over a year."

"Twelve and a half months." I shook my head thinking back to the last year.

"You sold the house? How could you have sold the house?" She asked with annoyance in her tone.

"We still live here, Sook. You room hasn't been touched, but I had no choice. I couldn't afford the mortgage or the bills on my own."

"We thought you were dead." Jason stepped forward. "It wasn't like you to just disappear without telling no body."

"What time is it?" She asked, out of nowhere.

Peeking over at the clock on the oven, I shrugged my shoulders. "6:35?"

"That means-" Without another word she ran out to the front steps and there was Bill Compton, whooshing over just as the sun had set.

I bit my tongue, leaning against the doorframe watching him intently. Fighting with her was the last thing I wanted to do, but Bill knew he wasn't allowed near this home. Ignoring me, he stepped up to the front steps, reaching for her but she took a step back,

"Forgive me. I know I am not welcome." He sighed. "It has been over a year since I'd felt your presence. I thought you were - dead."

"Well I'm fine." She said matter of factly.

As glad as I was that she was still pissed at him, I couldn't help but get irritated at how she had yet to comprehend that even though it had been minutes for her, a whole year in real time had passed for us. There had been a lot of grieving and crying and searching. And a lot had changed in a year.

Bill looked at her for a moment, as if coming to a realization. "Were you with Claudine?"

"It is none of your business where I was or who I was with." She replied, crossing her arms.

"Whose Claudine?" I asked, the name sounding oddly familiar.

Another whooshing sound could be heard as Eric showed up to the reunion. I bit my lip, giving him a look of annoyance over the fact that Bill was already on our steps, trying to weasel his way into her life again.

Eric smirked, reading me like a book. "Well well well, look who's home. Glad to see Bill is rolling out the welcome committee for you."

"Not now, Eric." He seethed. "Don't you have an obligation at Fangtasia?"

"Pam's got it covered. Besides, I don't want to miss the party." He winked at me, knowing how much joy I got in watching Bill get his panties in a twist.

"They specifically want you."

"I can appreciate your concern but -"

"Eric, go!"

Eric looked between him and I. Anger clearly written in his eyes but he complied, flying off.

Sookie shot me a confused look. The Eric Northman she remembered would've never taken orders from Bill, but little did she know.

Another police car pulled in front. The siren sounded momentarily before Andy stumbled out.

"You have got to be shitting me!" He came over to the steps.

Sookie walked down a few to meet him. " Happy to see you, too, Andy."

"Geez. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm safe and sound."

"We all thought he -" He motioned his hand towards Bill.

"They all thought that I had killed you." Bill finished his sentence.

"Maybe not literally but you killed her from the inside." I muttered under my breath.

He shot me a warning look but I rolled my eyes. Since coming into his new role, Bill Compton thought he could run everything and everyone and I was already on his shit list. Jason stepped outside, coming to stand next to me as Andy continued.

"Well when you're up for it, come on down to the station. We'll get your statement, track down whoever it was that took ya."

"Nobody took me." She answered as if he was crazy for assuming. "I wasn't kidnapped."

"What?" He asked dumbfounded. "Don't you tell me you skipped town without tellin' no one. You know how many man hours I put into lookin' for you?"

"Hey, now." Jason stepped in. "Take it easy, Andy."

"We dragged the fucking lake for you!" He yelled. "Where the hell'd you go?!"

We all stepped forward at his aggressive display until Bill spoke.

"She was working for me. Vampire business."

"What? Are you kidding me? What kind of vampire business? For a whole year, you swore up and down you had no idea where she was!"

"Hey! You either calm down or you can get your ass off my property, And Bellefleur ." I stepped in.

Bill stepped off the porch, meeting him eye to eye. "Look, I apologize for misleading you, many human lives would be at risk if I did not keep it a secret. Now as you can see, Miss Stackhouse is unharmed. I will come down to the office tomorrow, and I will explain it all. And I will repay the costs of the search efforts as soon as you issue a statement clearing my name. Obviously I did not kill her. "

Despite a little rant about not having a Safe Streets plaque on his wall, he left quietly. Bill looked up at her, pleased with how he'd been able to show off his new found money and power. Sookie would find out eventually but his display made me sick.

 **OOO**

Jason brought over some hot coco, sitting on the couch with Sookie in between us as we watched some cartoons. The two of us had been lost in just staring at her. After so long of thinking she was dead, all of this was so surreal.

"Look, I know you must've been worried for me, but you can't stare at me like this forever. It's creepy."

"I know." I gave a half-hearted smile. "But you'll have to deal with it for now."

"It's just, having you back - it's about the happiest I've been in my entire life. And I don't want it to end." Jason smiled, looking at her.

"It was strange when you were missing. Jason and I didn't speak for a while. We didn't know how to cope. It had always been the three of us, and all of a sudden it wasn't any more."

"I love you guys, too." She smiled, throwing her arm around the two of us.

* * *

 _ **Eric:**_

"It's a post Russell Edgington world, everyone, and we win back the human public one smile at a time." Nan's voice echoed through Fangtasia as I entered the front door. "Now, can anyone here play this game?"

I laughed, knowing Pam wouldn't put up with the uppity bullshit the AVL was trying to have us spew, but I found it quite amusing. After quickly glancing at the script. I walked over to Pam, grabbing the mic off of her jacket and clipping it on mine before taking a seat in front of the camera. Once they started rolling, I put on my friendliest smile.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Eric Northman. I'm a tax-paying american and small business owner in the great state of Louisiana. I also happen to be a vampire. Now this past year, there's been, a lot of inflammatory talk from politicians warning their constituents not to trust vampires. But think about it for a second. Who would you rather trust? A vampire or a politician? The truth is, vampires are as different from each other as humans are, because we were humans and we ask only to be treated as such. And we welcome you into our world as well. We're always more than happy to serve humans here at Fangtasia, and I don't mean for dinner."

I smirked at the camera before Nan called cut.

Clapping could be heard from behind me and I looked over my shoulder to see Mel. Her beauty catching me off guard with every glance.

"Whoo! Now that's how it's done!" She cheered.

My face broke out into a smile, something I could no longer control since she came into my life. I took off the mic, handing it to one of the crew before standing to pull her into my arms.. "Hello beautiful."

"Hey handsome." She smirked, her lips meeting mine. "Thought I'd stop by and say hi."

"Well I'm glad you did." I kissed her back, letting my lips linger on hers.

"Mr. Northman, that was great. You might have a future in this business. We'll continue with the rest tomorrow." Nan nodded, "You two enjoy sucking each other's faces off."

"Always a pleasure, Nan." Melanie nodded watching them clean things up and be out of the door in a flash.

"So it didn't take long for Compton to show up did it?" I asked, sitting back down.

Melanie let out an exaggerated sigh, standing before me. "No, and it didn't take long for her to run out there to wait for him either. The moment the sun set, she was outside. Some things never change."

"That's what worries me." I shook my head, my tone becoming serious again. "We've done a good job staying away from danger. Your sister always finds a way to get into trouble."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Right now, I'm just happy she's home. How's work going? The AVL still breathing down your necks?"

I let out deep breath. Fangtasia never used to be work. Now with the AVL doing intensive damage repair, they had been in and out of here trying to make it more human friendly. This commercial was just another step.

"Yeah, I know Bill is doing some sort of press conference tonight. Nan is going state to state to make sure everyone is keeping up appearances. Edgington destroyed years of progress. Now we have to pay for it."

Melanie sat on on my lap, her legs against either side of me as her arms wrapped around my neck. I'd never been attracted to anyone for as long as I had with her. Something as simple as her moving wisps of hair behind her ear could get me started and I couldn't be more proud to call her mine.

"How's Pam handling all the press?"

"In her usual way. Lots of sighs and sarcasm. She's a real peach." I shrugged but lifted my hips so they pressed against her center. "But that does leave more work for me to do."

"Hmm." She bit her lip coyly, tracing her fingertips down the front of my shirt to my belt. "Anything I can do to help?"

My eyes wandered down to her cleavage and I licked my lips. "Oh there's a lot you can do."

My lips pressed against hers. Her mouth instantly parting to accept my tongue. I lifted her effortlessly, her legs wrapping around my hips as I walked us to the office. There was plenty of work left to do but for now, all that I could think of was the sound of her sweet moans.

 **OOO**

I walked up the stairs to the bedroom, slipping off my jacket and hanging it behind the door before taking off my shirt. Taking a hot shower with Mel would be an ideal way to end the night, but now that her sister was back, I wasn't too sure on how much time we'd have. As much as I disliked Sookie, seeing her sister as happy as she was today made it all worthwhile.

"Mel?" I called out as I exited out into the hallway.

"She's in the shower." Sookie said, coming out of her bedroom. "What in the hell are you doing here? I rescinded your invitation."

This would be fun. Melanie hadn't told her the news.

"A lot has changed in a year. You don't own the house anymore." My lips curved into a smirk as I fished into my pocket to pull out the house key. "I do."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Why would you do that? Why would you buy my house?"

"Because while you were off in Fairyland, your sister was struggling to keep it. I offered to help. "

"Well thanks for the help, but I'm back now and I want you out of my house." She demanded.

"Oh, come on. That's no way to treat your new landlord."

"Melanie!" She screamed, stomping down the stairs to the bathroom.

I followed her down, thoroughly amused by her temper tantrum.

"I don't know what she sees in you, but you're nothing by bad news." She continued, stopping in front of the bathroom door.

"As opposed to Bill Compton?" I laughed, knowing how current their last interaction was in her mind. "Listen, I bought this house because I care about Melanie. If I just wanted her for her blood, I would've just taken it. Instead, I bought the house. Paid for all the renovations from your fuck ups and made sure she was safe at all times. This is the thanks I get?"

"You will never get a thank you from me. Not after all you've put us through.." She crossed her arms in a huff.

"What the fuck is going on now?" Melanie stepped out the door, a towel wrapped over her chest leaving little to the imagination.

"You sold him the house?!" Sookie pointed at me. "Him out of all people?"

"I trust him more than I trust anyone else at this point, Sook." she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'd rather have him own it than some stranger or worse, Bill Compton. He'd even put in an offer."

"Why didn't you let Bill?"

"Because I would rather not sell our home to the vampire that had plans to sell us out to the fucking queen Sookie." Melanie raised her voice at the audacity of her sister's statement.

"Why would you think for one second you could trust Eric Northman?"

"Because she's my wife."


	16. Chapter 16

_**Melanie:**_

There was a moment when Sookie's face washed blank with confusion. Like her brain couldn't turn fast enough to take in the information she had just been given. Her mouth hung with lips slightly parted and her eyes were as wide as they could stretch. I could just imagine the sparks in her mind, desperately trying to connect the dots and instead just short circuiting.

This was exactly why I hadn't told her yet. I wasn't even going to tell her about the house seeing as it was now legally half mine again, but Jason had to open his fucking mouth. I looked back at Eric who was getting pleasure from her reaction. I knew how much he hated Sookie, blamed her for all the shit that passed through this town and landed on our laps. He hadn't been too wrong either. There were no incidences after her disappearance. No wolves, no vampires looking for vengeance, no serial killers. We had been able to enjoy ourselves for what we were instead of watching our backs at all hours.

"I'm sorry, did he just call you his wife?" She finally spoke.

"We got married. It was a small wedding. Only like 5 people were there. We even had a place held for you -" I began to ramble.

"You married Eric Northman? The man who chained Lafayette like a dog? The man who left you to get tortured while he played Russell Edgington's pet? The man who basically delivered me to him, himself?" Sookie screamed, her face turning a bright shade of red.

"No!" I stopped her. "I married Eric Northman. The one who has saved both of our lives countless times from shit you and Bill dragged us into. The man who warned you about him all along and you wouldn't believe him. The man who continues to selflessly love me and treat me like a princess every day of my life. Sook - when you were gone, I had nobody. Tara left town. Lafayette was busy with his new man. Jason couldn't look at me without thinking about you. The bank was threatening to foreclose on the house - Eric stepped in. He moved in to be with me. To keep me safe and sane while I was losing my mind trying to find you and making sure I never lost hope. When he asked me to marry him, it was the happiest moment of my entire life. I didn't have to wait to think about it like you did with Bill."

Her face softened listening to my words, though she looked at him skeptically, I prayed she'd keep the peace. Eric had done nothing but prove his love to me. Her relationship with Bill had been based on lies and betrayal from the beginning. I didn't expect her to understand, but I expected her to respect it.

"I -" She let out a deep breath. "I can't do this right now. I don't know what kind of spell he has you under but I can't accept this. I won't."

Sookie looked at Eric then at me. Her face echoed her doubt and disappointment as she walked past us to go back up the stairs. She had guilted me my whole life with that look, but not this time. Marrying Eric was the only decision in my life I was most certain of.

Eric moved to stand behind me, his body pressing against my back. His hands, cold to the touch, as they ran up my arms to my shoulders. I loved his touch, more than just in sexual ways. In times of high tension, his touch would bring me at ease, comforting me without ever opening his mouth. I leaned my head against his muscled chest. The dampness of it, seeping into his shirt but he didn't move, just slide his arms around me, to hold me close.

"That went almost exactly how I expected." I sighed, stepping away out from under his arms.

"Well it's better she found out sooner than later." He said, following me up the stairs and into our room. "Like ripping off a bandaid."

 **OOO**

With today being my day off, I figured I'd grab groceries and cook dinner for Sookie and Jason. I knew we weren't in a good place, but she was still my sister. One who we'd previously thought of as dead. I wanted to spend as much time as humanly possible with her. And if Jason was there, he could help change her mind about my marriage.

I pulled the car into the driveway and grabbed my groceries from the trunk. Footsteps shuffling in the grass caught my attention and I quickly turned, only to find Tara running towards me. It had been nearly a year since I'd seen her too, what the hell was going on?

"Melanie!" She yelled, a wide smile spread across her lips.

"Tara!" I screamed excitedly. Placing my bags down, I ran into her open arms, pulling her into a long familiar hug. "What are you doing here?!"

"Lafayette." She pulled away, holding onto my hands tightly. "He texted me last night about Sookie coming home. I parked out back because I wanted to surprise you!"

"You did! Where have you been?! You feel off the face of the earth just like she did."

"I guess I did, huh?" Her face fell apologetically. "I've been in New Orleans. I thought Sookie was dead - you had your own thing going on, and after what I went through - this place wasn't for me anymore."

"Hey." I placed a hand on her cheek, brushing off a stray tear. "Everyone thought she was dead, but she's fine. And you're stunning! New Orleans looks good on you, but don't you think for one second you don't have a home here."

Tara smiled, leaned in to give me another hug. "What about you? You're practically glowing! I heard you got married!"

"I did." I smiled, showing her the ring. "It was small - intimate. I wish you had been there."

"It's beautiful, Mel. Regardless of how I feel about vamps - I couldn't be happier for you." She admired the ring before holding my hand.

"Help me bring these in? You can tell me all about your cross country adventure."

 **OOO**

"Mel?" Sookie's voice rang throughout the house. "Melanie!"

"What?" I asked running down the stairs, stopping to see Eric, shirtless and shoeless standing at the front door. "Oh my god! What happened to him?"

I ran over to examine him. He looked clueless as all hell. His face lit up in an innocent smile as I touched his cheeks.

"Wow, are you here Snookie's friend? You are so beautiful!"

My jaw dropped as I took a few steps away from him. He had no idea who I was. Who we were. Did he just call her Snookie? I turned momentarily to look at Sookie and he rushed to my side, sniffing my neck.

"You smell like her too. Only sweeter. Like sugar and sunshine and candy."

"Jesus Christ, what happened?" I pulled away from him, looking at Sookie for answers.

"I don't know. I found him on the side of the road. He has no idea who he is. The last thing he can remember was from when he was human."

"Call Pam. She has to know something." I ordered as I took his hand, leading him to the living room. His feet were still muddy, dirtying the carpet as I lead him to sit on the couch. "Sit right here babe, I'll grab you a blanket and a bucket of hot water for your feet okay?"

"Okay." He smiled again.

My heart ached seeing him looking so lost. My husband was never lost. Everything he did had meaning and purpose. Someone had done this to him. Someone had wiped away over a thousand years of memories, but who could do such a thing? I know Eric had a lot of enemies but he was strong - smart. Nobody could get the better of him.

I wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, placing the bucket by his feet as I knelt down. Carefully rolling up his muddy jeans, I placed his feet in the water, using the hand towel to wipe them down. His eyes followed me the whole time. Watching every movement intently.

"You are the prettiest woman I've ever seen." He leaned forward, his eyes meeting mine.

I smiled, biting my lower lip as I wiped the bottom of his feet. His eyes focused on the ring on my finger and his expression changed to one of disappointment.

"Your husband is one very lucky guy.."

My eyes began to fill with tears hearing him speak. Even as clueless as he was, he was still drawn to me. "Well consider yourself a lucky man because you are my husband."

His face lit up like a kid on christmas morning hearing me say those words. "You - you're my wife?"

"Sure am." I laughed, letting a tear slip down my cheek.

The doors flung open and Eric stood quickly, becoming aggressively protective. "Who the fuck is she?"

"FUCK!" Pam yelled, noticing the state he was in.

"Sorry." He softened, looking down at me. "Sorry. That was rude. I'm sorry."

I looked at Pam concerned as Sookie came into the living room.

"What do you know about what happened to you?" She asked him. Eric looked at me, unable to answer her question so she continued. "You have to hide him!"

"No way!" Sookie protested again.

"He's in danger!"

I stood straighter, stepping forward towards her. "What danger?"

"And I'm sure you'll be able to protect him much better than us!" Sookie continued.

"Sookie, I'll be the first place they'll look!"

"They who?" I yelled over them.

"The witches who did this." Pam looked at me.

"Witches? Oh great! Now we have to deal with witches? No. Not my problem!" Sookie crossed her arms over her chest.

"Actually you're living in our house, so it is your problem!" I crossed my arms looking at her.

"Our house?" Eric looked looked down at me again.

"Yeah baby. " I smiled comfortingly at him.

"I'll just go to Bill."

Pam flew over to Sookie, staring her down. "Tell Bill, and I will rip you to pieces."

In the blink of an eye, Eric pushed her into the hallway and away from us. "Be nice to her." He demanded, looking sternly at Pam.

Sookie smirked, thinking of ways to use him to her advantage. Pam stood up again, adjusting her dress as she put a smile on her face to keep Eric calm.

I believe Bill set Eric up, and sent him into that coven in Shreveport knowing it was a trap. It wouldn't be the first time he tried to get rid of Eric."

My blood ran cold as I listened to her speak. "That motherfucker!"

"Bill would never do that." Sookie defended.

"You don't know shit about Bill." I lashed out at her. "He wasn't the man you thought he was then and he still ain't."

"Promise me you won't go to Bill. I"m sure he would use this as an excuse to get the AVL to sign off on assassinating Eric. I know he wants too." Pam looked at me.

Eric grabbed my hand, his fingers finding their places between mine before squeezing it. He was scared. I could feel it. His eyes were wide as he listened to what Pam was saying.

"Eric has to stay here with you and no one can know."

"Okay." Sookie nodded. " But you are going to have to pay us for babysittin' him. If ya'll are going to keep messing with our lives, we outta at least get something out of it, God damn it."

I yelled, causing her to jump. "He's my husband, for fucks sake. His money is my money and I'm not paying my own sister to help me take care of him. If you won't do it for him then do it for me or you can find someplace else to live!"

Pam smirked crossing her arms as Sookie let out an irritated huff.

"We are going to take turns being here and working our shifts, like nothing ever happened. If anyone asks, we haven't seen Eric at all and I'm worried sick. Okay?"

"I like her." Eric smiled again. "She's bossy."

"You come with me."

He followed me up the stairs where I had him shower and put on a fresh pair of clothes before leading him downstairs into his cubby. We hadn't gotten around to installing blackout blinds yet so for now this would have to do. Fortunately, with the situation we were in, it would come in handy.

"Are you really my wife?" He asked, stepping down with me.

"I am." I nodded, leaning against the ladder as he took seat on the bed.

"Are you happy with me?"

I lowered my eyes to stare at my lap, nodding as I fought back tears. " The happiest I've ever been."

"Don't cry." He stood again. He reached his hand out to touch me but when he stepped closer his fangs immediately dropped. I jumped at the sight and he immediately covered his mouth with his hand. "I'm sorry - I'm so sorry. You just smell so good. What - what are you?"

I knew I couldn't tell him. My Eric may have had control but this Eric didn't know a goddamn thing. I couldn't trust him to drink from me if I was human, much less as a fairy. I sighed, looking up at him. The desperate need to shake him out of it hit me but I couldn't, I could not hold or hug, or even kiss this man.

"Get some rest babe." I smiled softly.

"Sweetdreams, Melanie." He smiled, dumbly.

I walked back upstairs to find Sookie and Pam bickering again. Nodding my head outside, the three of us walked out the back door to sit in the yard.

"What do you know about Bill's plans?" I asked Pam, crossing my arms over my chest.

She sighed, looking at Sookie who was ready to jump to his defense. "Eric knows things that could get Bill kicked out of that precious throne. Bill's been sending him on all these bullshit investigations. Just places where he's bound to get hurt or in trouble. Eric knows things that could get Bill kicked out of that precious throne."

"Go find out more about these witches. We need to find a way to reverse this immediately. Leaving him like this makes him a sitting duck."

"So - does this make Melanie like your step-mom?" Sookie asked with a devious smirk.

"No!" Pam retorted.

"Yes." I said matter of factly. " Now go, Pam. We can't be wasting time."

She lefted in a rush before Sookie turned to me. "How are we supposed to keep him hidden from Bill? He's bound to come looking here after he searches Fangtasia."

"We have to adjust that cubby to look like a wardrobe. It's the only way. That why if he comes searching, he won't find anything out of place."

"Sookie, I've come for you." An unfamiliar voice sounded behind us.

We both turned in a hurry to see a magical looking woman, smiling at Sookie.

"Who the fuck are you?" I stepped in front of my sister.

"I'm Claudine. I'm Sookie's godmother. Pleasure to finally meet you Melanie."

"I'm not going back there." Sookie took a step back.

"I understand it must have been frightening what you saw in Faerie, but please…"

"You're the woman who took her? She's not going anywhere with you."

"We are your true family. You belong with us. Both of you."

"No, thanks!" Sookie turned to walk inside.

"This is not a request!"

Eric came in out of nowhere, tackling the woman to the ground before he started draining her. Sookie yelled for him to stop but neither of us could go near him. Not when he was like this. We watched as she crumbled beneath him before turning into glowing dust that scattered into the breeze.

"You just killed my Fairy Godmother!" Sookie shreiked.

Eric looked at us, wide eyed. "Sorry."

"We're sitting ducks out here if any of Claudine's friends show up." Sookie looked at me.

"Hurry. In the house, Eric. We gotta get you back into the cubby."

He groaned a moment before collapsing on the ground. Sook and I looked between each other as fear ran through my body. She stepped closer, pushing his arm gently.

"Eric? Get up, we have to go inside."

He stood, almost zombie like before smiling drunkenly at us with his fangs dropped. Sookie backed up towards me, unsure of how he would be.

"Hey." He stumbled hazily as he approached us. "More."

"Quit it." Sookie slapped his hand away as he reached for me.

"I want more!" He shoved her lightly before looking back at me.

"You can't have more." I stepped backwards as he stepped closer to me. "You can't have any more. There isn't any more. You drank the whole faerie, and you're going to your room."

"Drink you up." He mumbled as he moved my hair out of the way, leaning in to bite my neck.

"Eric, you'll kill me! No!" I yelled causing him to freeze.

His face turned serious as he looked down into my eyes, hurt that I would even imply such a thing. "I would never harm you."

I could see in his eye that he meant it. "Come on, I'll tuck you in."

He giggled, following as Sookie and I walked back towards the house before I felt a hand pinch me.

"Hey!" I gasped, turning to face him as he walked circles around us. "Did you just pinch my ass?"

"Beautiful butt." He laughed as he did it again.

"Oh my god. He's drunk!" Sookie laughed.

"Catch me!" He laughed as he disappeared into the woods.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Melanie:**_

"Eric! Get back here right now!" I screamed running in his direction but with his vampire speed it was no use.

Sookie ran after me, panting for breath as we finally stopped running. "He could be anywhere."

"We have to look for him. Dawn is less than an hour away. The fairy blood will only keep him safe for so long." I managed to say between heavy breaths.

"I'll call Alcide. Maybe he can pick up his scent and lead us to him." She nodded her head for us to return to the house.

"I have to keep looking for him. You head back and call Alcide. Grab a blanket just in case."

"Mel, you can't go through the woods alone. Just come back and we'll find him together."

"No! I'm not going back without him. Just hurry, please." I waved at her before running deeper into the trees.

It was getting lighter out and my anxiety was getting the best of me. Anything could get to him while he was like this. He had no recollection of anyone or anything and I wasn't sure how much he even knew about being a vampire. I hadn't been this scared since Sookie's disappearance. I suppose this was something I should've been accustomed too with almost everyone in my life disappearing at one time or another, but it never got easier.

The more I walked through the woods, the more time I had to think. Eric had told me of times when he basically walked into traps set by Bill but this - this was pure evil. I couldn't put together what his plan was but if Bill needed approval from the AVL to kill Eric this would be a place to start. With Eric not being able to remember a goddamn thing, Bill could pin anything on him and I would be damned if I let that happen. Pam better find something soon. With Eric's erratic behavior, I wasn't sure how long I could keep him hidden. It would only be a matter of time before Bill was knocking on my door asking for him.

" _Mel, we got him. He's in the lake."_

I froze, looking up at the sun now beating down overhead.

" _Is he okay? I'm heading your way."_

" _No. I think the fairy blood is wearing off. He's starting to burn. I covered him with a blanket. He's headed for the house."_

"Shit. Shit. Shit!" I mumbled as I started running back towards the house.

"Eric!" I yelled breathlessly as I ran inside. "Eric?!"

"Down here." I heard his voice coming from the cubby.

"Oh thank god!" I hurried down the ladder to throw my arms around him. "Don't you ever do that to me again!"

His arms wrapped around me, hugging me as close to him as he could. I could feel the heat coming off his body while he was still healing from the sun burn.

"You have the bleeds." You pulled away, wiping blood leaking from his ear. "It's time for you to get some sleep."

"I don't want to sleep." He protested, looking down at you.

"You have to get some rest. You got all burned up today." You sat him down, checking on his back from under the blanket. You could feel him sniffing your neck as you leaned over him and pulled away. "You're healing quickly. Now lay down and close your eyes."

"No."

"Yes. Babe, you have too or you're going to bleed everywhere."

"I know what the bleeds are." He hung his head.

"Well fine, then you can clean it up. I'm not your maid."

"Are you mad at me?" He asked, looking up at me with innocent puppy eyes.

"You had me worried sick Eric. You're not yourself and there are bad people after you. I refuse to lose you too. So please, just get some rest for now."

"Okay. I'm sorry Melanie."

"I'm going to have someone working on the cubby while it's still daylight but I need you to stay down here okay? Just until I know it's safe for you to come out."

I looked down at him as he sat on the bed, eyes wide like a young child who'd been scolded. Your heart hurt again as you turned away to climb the ladder, this time making sure to lock the cubby from the outside.

He cared for me despite not remembering a thing. It showed that our connection was deeper than anything I could've dreamed of. Even under different circumstances, we were drawn to each other. Like...like soulmates? I had never been one to believe in that shit but I didn't believe in a lot of things until I met him.

Still it hurt to see him in such a way. We had gone through hell and back to get to where we were. Worked day in and day out to overcome everything pulling us apart. We laughed, we cried, we fought, we made up and most importantly we loved. We loved in a way you only saw in movies or books. In a way that connected us beyond anything explicable. We were one. Mind. Body. Soul. Now that had all been erased from him. He may have known he was attracted to me, cared for me in his own way, but he was robbed of everything that we had once held so sacred and someone was going to pay.

"Are you okay?" Sookie asked as I walked into the kitchen.

I must've looked as defeated as I felt because even Alcide's face seemed to soften at my approach.

"I have to call someone to adjust the cubby, make it look like a closet or something. If Bill comes, he'll rip this house apart looking for him."

"You need to get some rest, Mel. We can worry about that later." She offered, placing a cup of tea in front of me.

"No. It has to be done during the day while all the vampires are asleep." I pushed the tea away, opting to make myself a cup of coffee.

"Sookie told me what happened - " Alcide spoke up.

I looked at Sookie before looking back at him. From what I'd known about this man, he wasn't a huge fan of Eric. With him as weak as he was, trusting anyone with this situation was difficult. I wasn't sure how much Sookie had told him but it was best to keep him at a safe distance.

"But I'm here for you two. Anything you need." He finished.

"Thanks," I said dryly. "But when I find who did this, I'll kill them myself."

" _I can see why Northman chose her. Sexy as hell and fiercely loyal to her man. Mm mm mm."_

I could hear his thoughts as he looked at me but ignored it all together. "How's Debbie? She know you're over here?"

"Yeah, speaking of. I should probably get back." He stood from his leaning stance against the counter, looking between Sookie and I. "Like I said, you need anything - you call."

We both nodded, Sookie giving him a smitten smile as she went to walk him out the door. He'd had a soft spot for the two of us since he met and he'd been a pretty good ally to have since, but when it came to Eric's best interest, I wasn't sure I could trust anyone other than Pam.

 **OOO**

It was well past dark and I hadn't heard anything from Pam yet. Eric hadn't been making a sound and while at first I thought it was a good thing, guilt started to wash over me for keeping him locked like some prisoner in his own home. Even if it was for his own safety.

I unlocked the wardrobe and flipped the floorboards that now opened into the cubby. After a full day's work and an extremely hefty price, the technician managed to do an incredible job disguising it as a regular closet, even going as far as hanging a few of our coats in it and placing shoes along the bottom.

"Eric?" I called down as I stepped down the ladder.

He didn't respond. Instead he remained curled onto his side, merely lifting his eyes to look my way. He looked troubled as his face hung in sadness.

"You've been quiet." I smiled softly, walking over to the bed. "This isn't like you."

"Yes it is." He mumbled, returning his eyes to look down at the ground.

"No it's not. The real Eric -"

"I am real." He stopped me.

I sighed, kneeling down beside the bed to face him as my fingers found their way into his hair, brushing it back. "Yes, you are. I only meant the Eric with memories. Not much gets him down. Sure he's an asshole and a troublemaker, but he's a happy vampire. My happy vampire."

Eric sighed, not moving to look at me. "I'll never get to swim in the sun again. Never feel the heat on my skin. Never see the daylight in your hair."

I smiled as best as I could. I hadn't realized how a thousand years of darkness could have affected him. "I always thought I looked better under the starlight." I offered.

He looked at me before turning to sit at the edge of the bed. "You look beautiful under any light."

I joined him on the bed, leaning against him to press a soft kiss on his shoulder. "I wish I knew what to say to make you feel better."

"You think I'm weak?" He asked again, staring at the wall.

"No -" I tried but he cut me off.

"You want the Eric who doesn't feel."

"That's not it -"

"If you kiss me, I promise to be happy." He gave the hint of a smile.

Maybe he did have parts of the real Eric inside of him. "If kissing you is all it took to make you happy, I'd never stop."

His smile came through as he leaned in to kiss me, his hand resting against my cheek before he suddenly pulled away. "Someone's at the door."

My heart stopped as I stood. I heard footsteps above me and knew Sookie was going to answer but I needed to lock this up quickly. "Don't come up." I warned him as I rushed to get up the stairs and readjust the wardrobe to lock the cubby.

I walked towards towards the front door to see Sookie talking to Bill. He noticed me over her shoulder as I approached, already on the defensive.

"What do you want?" Sookie smiled playfully at him. I prayed it was an act.

"Eric." He smiled at her before returning his eyes to me.

"He's gone." She returned his attention towards herself.

Bill looked genuinely confused. "Wasn't it the night before last you were begging me to get him out of here?"

"What?" I stepped forward, pushing her back against the door. "You did what?"

"Where is he, Melanie?" His voice got serious as he looked at me.

"I don't know. He never came home last night. I've tried calling him - looking for him -"

Sookie straightened herself out, returning her gaze to Bill as she smiled coyly. "I thought you had come through for me."

His face softened once more. "Did he say where he was going when he disappeared?"

"No, he was gone before I came back from the grocery store." I crossed my arms.

"Okay." He nodded, looking between the two of us. "Well, you see, we've searched his farm in Oland, and his apartment in Paris, and the plantation in Barbados, and I mean we've looked everywhere. This is the one place that he owns that we haven't searched so with your permission -"

"Why? Why are you looking for him?" I shut the door behind me. "I'm not going to let you and your goons stomp around my house, tearing it apart. Haven't you do enough to me and my family?"

"It will only be me." He moved towards the door.

"No." Sookie stepped forward. "This is her home too. There won't be any search."

"I'm sorry," He moved me out of the way before going inside.

Sookie and I held our breaths as he walked through the house. I followed him closely as he made his way through our kitchen, dining room, and living room. He opened all the closets and doors he could find.

"How can you do this?" Sookie asked as we both walked around behind him.

"I have to. It's my responsibility." He reached the wardrobe. Unlocking the clip before pulling it open and I felt ready to faint.

"What reason do you have not to trust me?" Sookie made him freeze. "When have I lied to you? Ever?"

He stared at the random junk I had thrown in there for a moment as if processing her question. Turning towards us, he lowered his eyes to the ground. "You're right."

Without another word he showed himself out and disappeared into the night. I could see Sookie felt horrible for lying to him now but I was furious.

"You." I pointed at her, walking up to her as she walked backwards. My tone was low and threatening, more so than ever before. "You went to Bill Compton to get rid of Eric?"

"I had to!" She put her hands up trying to calm me down. "I was upset! I couldn't believe you sold him the house. OUR house. "

"How could you do this to your own sister? After all the times I was behind you when you defended Bill? After all the times I've defended you!"

"Mel -"

"All this time I thought it was just a coincidence that trouble started as soon as you came back. We had gone a full year without any incident after you left. Now I know that this too was your fault. You are the reason Bill wants to get rid of Eric. You were the reason he was sent to those witches. You are the reason my husband doesn't remember me!"

I could hear my voice cracking but the anger within me had been bottled long enough. This was the ultimate betrayal. From my own sister out of all people.

"I didn't know he would so this! Melanie, I'm sorry! At least I got rid of him for now!"

"Just like you didn't know Eggs would kill himself? Or how you didn't know that Bill was working against us the whole time?" My eyes stung with unshed tears. "You were supposed to trust me!"

"Melanie, I don't know what to say to undo what I did. All I can do is promise that I will fix this. We will get Eric's memories back. I swear to you." She tried to reach for me but I smacked her hand away.

"Get out of my sight Sookie Stackhouse." She paused, looking hurt for a moment until I screamed at her. "Go!"

She backed away, running up the stairs to her room. I sank onto the couch, head in my hands unable to fight back the tears any longer.

* * *

 _ **Eric:**_

I opened the bedroom door slowly, quietly, to see Melanie asleep on the bed. Her body covered only in a black lace bra and underwear that molded perfectly to her ass. The sheets caressing the bare skin of her toned stomach, contrasting against her tan skin. Her golden hair shined in the moonlight coming from her window as it fanned over her pillow. I couldn't help but stare in awe as I admired the view.

A hand landed on my shoulder as a shorter, unfamiliar man, with the look of a young boy.

"Hello, Eric." He smiled at me, touching my face before his attention turned towards Melanie.

He walked over placing his hand on her leg and running it up her thigh before leaning in to smell her neck. His nose brushing against her skin. I rushed to push him off of her.

"Don't touch her." I warned him, holding my arm out to keep him at a distance.

"She's beautiful." He said breathlessly, staring down at her before dropping his fangs.

"Who are you?"

"Drink with me." He growled. "We will drain her and walk in the sun together."

"No." I shook my head, not taking my eyes off him.

He rushed to my side, his hand grabbing my neck as he squeezed the breath from me. I sank to my knees at his grip, looking up at him.

"You are incapable of love." He looked down at me. "You are damned."

My eyes looked over at her, sleeping peacefully. "She can redeem me."

The man laughed. "You cannot be saved. You are a creature of death. You are only capable of one thing, and it is not love. Drink now."

He grabbed my head, moving it towards her. "Stop fighting your nature! Drink!"

My fangs sank into hers. Her sweet blood running through my body as she screamed.

I owned my eyes to find I was still in the cubby. It was all a dream but my fangs were out. I needed to taste her.

* * *

 _ **Melanie:**_

The feeling of someone hovering over me made me open my eyes. I screamed, sitting up in a hurry at the sight of Eric on my bed with his fangs dropped. He quickly got off, retracting his fangs as he looked at me confused.

"Eric, what the hell?!"

He sighed, looking around as he tried to catch his breath. "I, uhm, had a bad dream. Can I lay with you?"

I looked up at him, still slightly shook from the way I'd been woken, but I knew I didn't have the strength to deny him. "Come here."

He smiled thankfully as he crawled into place next to me, turning to curl on his side. I ran my fingers down his back as he explained his nightmare. Godric had come to him in a dream, told him how he could never love or be loved and tried to force him to drink from me.

"He said I was evil." He sniffled.

"It was just a dream, baby." I tried to comfort him.

He turned his upper body to face me, looking up at me with blood stained cheeks from crying. "Am I evil?"

"You're not Ghandi, but no. You're not evil."

He accepted my answer, turning to lay his head on my lap. I threw the sheets over him, keeping him close to me.

"I like being next to you." He whispered.

I looked down at him as I stroked his hair with my fingertips. "Guess that's why you asked me to marry you."

He looked up at me, his eyes lighting up again. "What was I like as a husband?"

I smiled, thinking of all the ways I could describe him but no words doing the right amount of justice.

"Gentle, sweet, protective, strong, sexy, amazing lover …" I winked, watching as his cheeks filled with blush. "It was everything Godric wanted of you. He was the most human vampire I'd ever met. He would've been proud."

"Did I make you proud?" His eyes searched mine.

"You did, baby. You sure did." I smiled, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

"Would it be alright if I stayed here until sunrise?" He asked, laying his head back down on my lap.

"As long as you promise to keep your fangs to yourself big boy."

"I promise." He said, turning back on his side. I adjusted myself to lay next to him. His hand reached for my arm, throwing it over him as I curled against his back, holding him as the little spoon. "I would never hurt someone I feel as deeply about as you."


	18. Chapter 18

_**Melanie:**_

"Naiomi? A girlfriend?" I scooped some ice cream from the bowl, eating it as I looked at Tara.

"I didn't plan on it." She said, doing the same. I just kind of fell for her.

"And, all those years we've been friends you've never-"

"It ain't like that with you." She laughed. "Or Sookie."

"I was gonna say you never knew you liked girls." I shoved her playfully.

"Never did before." She smiled, finishing the bowl.

"So when do we get to meet her?" I put my bowl down, grabbing a pull from my beer.

Tara lowered her eyes, staring at the empty bowl. "She doesn't exactly know about you. Hell, she doesn't even know about me. I've been lying to her, Mel. She thinks I'm at my grandmother's funeral in Atlanta. She even thinks my name is Tony."

"Tony? Why?"

"Because I hate this place. I hate what it did to me and I wanna fucking burry it. Now Naomi found a bunch of stuff with my real name on it. She's going to break up with me and I don't blame her.

I scooted closer, wrapping my arm around her. "Do you love her?"

"I think so." She nodded.

"Then you gotta fight. You gotta make her forgive you."

She looked at me, hanging her head down. "That's like asking Sookie if she'd forgive Bill."

"Sookie would forgive Bill in a heartbeat." I stopped her, my tone getting colder.

"Anyway, I came here to talk to you about something else." She turned to look at me after noticing the sun going down.

Noticing her demeanor change, I sat straighter. "What?"

"I need you to talk to Eric for me. For Lafayette and I."

I cocked my eyebrows, looking at her. "Why? What happened?"

"I'm in town 20 minutes and now I got him trying to kill me."

I stood. "Tara. I need you to tell me what happened. Why is this the first I'm hearing about this."

She took a deep breath, running her palms down the front of her jeans. " I was scared he'd be here when I tried to talk to you. We were at a wiccan meeting. Lafayette and his man, they practice that shit. Anyway, I step outside to make a call and when I get back, he's about to attack Marnie, their leader. I'm sorry Mel, I tried to stake him but he had me by the throat. He woulda killed me then and there if Marnie didn't cast some sort of spell on him."

My jaw dropped, as I looked down at her. There was way too much to process.

"Melanie! I found the place. It's called MoonGoddess emporium. She channeled Gran and Gran warned me she was dangerous. Whoever this Marnie lady is - " Sookie ran in through the front door. Tara stood, looking just as confused as me. "Oh, Tara. Hey!"

"Okay, what the fuck is going on here." Tara asked looking between us.

"Something happened to Eric. His different. He can't remember a thing. Like not even me." I crossed my arms. "And you tried to kill him?"

"He was going to attack all of us!" She defended. Her eyes peeked over my shoulder and she let out a high pitch scream, running to the fireplace grabbing one of the pokers.

I turned to see Eric behind me. He instantly got aggressive noticing her stance and started walking towards her.

"You told me he was missing!" She yelled at Sookie.

"Eric! Back off!" I grabbed his arm as he smacked the fireplace poker from her hands. He listened, still standing in front of me protectively.

"He won't hurt you!" Sookie promised Tara but she was to frantic to listen.

"You must have a short fucking memory! He's a psychopathic murderer! Fuck all of you!" She lashed out before making a run for it out the door.

Sookie sighed, looking between me and a defeated looking Eric. "Should I go after her?"

"Yes, make sure she tells nobody." I nodded.

She ran out the door and I turned to look at Eric who had sank down into the couch.

"Did I really do all those bad things people keep saying?" He looked at me.

"Yes." I nodded my head as I kneeled in front of him.

"Then why did you marry me? Why are you letting me stay with you?"

I sighed, cupping his cheeks to keep his eye contact. "Because there's more to you than you're worse self. I always knew there was good in you even when you were a smug sarcastic asshole. I still knew it."

He turned his face away. "Whether there's good in me is irrelevant. Clearly I'm capable of extreme cruelty."

"You were." I nodded. "But I wouldn't have made a commitment to you if I didn't know in my heart that you were better than that. I've seen you change. You had become a better man, if not yourself, than for me. I love that man." My lips curved into a smile. "I love you."

"There's a light in you." He leaned closer. "It's beautiful and innocent and pure. I couldn't bare it if I snuffed it out."

I tilted my head, seeing the sadness behind his eyes before he stood and walked out the front door.

I realized then that I was presented with a choice. I could leave all of this behind, listen to the warnings that everyone had been throwing my way since I had first met him. Or I could stay. Stay and fight what was surely the most difficult hurdle our relationship would face. I knew in my heart then just as I knew now that there was only one choice for me.

"Eric!" I ran out onto the front porch. He stopped walking and turned his head towards me. "Please don't go."

He walked back my way and into my arms. His arms wrapping around my body, he provided the comfort I didn't know I'd ever feel again. My lips brushed down his jaw to his lips, kissing him hungrily to make up for all the time I'd gone without. Memories or no memories, this man was mine. In sickness and in health. For better or worse.

Laying me back onto the couch, he kissed me again, his hands roaming my body, taking off my shirt. I ran my fingers through his hair, arching into him as he trailed his lips down, nipping at the skin. I moaned, letting the feeling take over, he always did know how to make me feel good.

The door swung open and Sookie barged in. She gasped and we quickly pulled away from each other.

"Jesus, Sook!" I shuffled to pull my shirt down.

Seconds later, Bill followed, fangs out and ready, charging at Eric. The two fought while Sookie and I tried to intervene.

"Bill stop!" She shouted, distracting him enough for Eric to get ontop, grabbing a poker ready to stab him in the chest.

"Eric!" I yelled, grabbing his arm to stop him. "He's your king."

He stopped immediately, dropping the poker and dropping down to one knee. "My liege, forgive me."

Bill looked at the broken man confused at the change in him before looking at us for answers.

"He has no memory." I said, standing in between them after Sookie helped him up. "Those witches - they erased it all. He didn't remember the house. Me. His past -"

"It's true." Sookie backed me. "He still doesn't."

His face etched in concern but he still called his guards. Within seconds they showed, grabbing Eric by the arms to drag him away. I felt an anger in my chest and my fingers sparked. It wasn't right. Eric could kill them in a millisecond but he didn't he bowed down and Bill was taking advantage. I wanted to fucking end him. He'd more than deserve this.

Sookie noticed and grabbed my hands, calming me down enough to follow them to Bill's mansion.

"You have no right to do this!" Sookie called after him.

Bill shook his head, continuing on. "I have every right. I am his king."

"Well you sure as hell aren't mine." I snarled.

"Yes, you've made that abundantly clear. When you lied to my face."

"You've got a lot of nerve lecturin' anyone on lying." Sookie defended.

That stopped him in his track and guilt crossed his face, but Eric - my sweet, innocent, defenseless husband - spoke up.

"Your majesty, whatever I'm guilty of, Melanie had nothing to do with it. She was only protecting me."

"How touching." He said without emotion. "Silver him.'

"NO!" I yelled out as they put silver cuffs on him. The pain bringing him down to his knees. "He isn't resisting you don't have to hurt him!"

"Where are you taking him?" Sookie demanded, watching the men haul him away.

"I'm going to kill you Bill Compton, and I'm going to make it slow and take my time. This I fucking swear to you!" I threatened, only being held back by Sookie's grips on my arms.

"Melanie stop." Eric pleaded. "You've already done to much for me."

"Yes. You certainly have." Bill turned to face us. "You both have."

"We're family. It's what we do. It's loyalty. Something you know nothing about." I spewed.

"I took an oath to protect the vampires of Louisiana." He returned. " That is exactly what I'm doing."

"By handcuffing them in silver?"

"Eric is under the control of necromancers. He is a danger to everyone!"

"You don't know what you're talking about! He's scared. He's alone. His whole life has been wiped away."

"He's a liar and a master manipulator!"

"No - the only liar here is you!"

"Enough!" Sookie yelled, stopping the two of us. "Bill, a moment?"

He looked at me, then at her, nodded as the two of them went into another room. I sank against the lock door they'd taken Eric into, leaning my back against it and covering my face with my hands. Bill Compton wasn't going to get away with this. I'd burn this place to the ground.

The two came back out with Sookie looking pissed. He looked between the two of us, nodding his head towards the door. "It's time for you to go."

"I'm not leaving without my husband." I stood.

He looked at his guards. "If Miss Stackhouse or Mrs. Northman." He looked at me promptly. "Step foot on my property again, I want them arrested for trespassing. Are we clear?"

Sookie looked hurt, her eyes getting glossy with tears as she stormed out. One of his men grabbed my arm, forcefully throwing me outside. I used my light to throw him back into the house, hearing the sound of glass breaking on his landing. Bill came to the doorway, staring down at me.

"Karma always comes back around, Bill."

 **OOO**

On top of every going on with Eric, Jason let us in on the fact that he'd been bitten by some sort of werepanther and might turn into one on a full moon.

Tonight was a full moon.

For fuck's sake I couldn't catch a break. The three of us sat outside for a while until I went in for a shower. Sookie had followed behind to grab the two some drinks before busting into the bathroom minutes later claiming Jason was gone.

In another adrenaline charge rush, I got dressed as fast as a could. The two of us grabbing a shotgun each before separating into the woods behind the house.

"Jason!" I yelled out, shoving past the low hung branches of thousand year old trees. "Jason!"

Was it actually possible that he had changed? I'd never heard of anything like it. Werepanthers. I mean for God's sake how many more supernatural beings were we going to find out about?

"Jason!" I yelled again before the sound of leaves breaking behind me made me jump.

Turning quickly, I aimed the shotgun before my eyes landed on Eric.

"Babe?" I cried out in relief, dropping everything to run into his arms as I'd done many times before. "How?"

"The King set me free." He stated.

His large arms holding me up against him. His lips crashing against mine in a heated kiss. I couldn't hold back anymore as a wave of emotions rushed through me. I has him in my arms again. Out of the reaches of Bill Compton.

Our lips never parted as our clothes were dropped to the ground. Eric laying me back, slowly thrusting inside of me, filling me in a way only he knew how. It had been so long since he'd been inside of me, I never wanted him to stop.

Under the moonlit sky, the sound of our moans filled the night. My hips met his, thrust for thrust, we were giving it our all. Our entire relationship had been about us giving our all to each other and though he might not have his memories, the connection was there nonetheless.


	19. Chapter 19

**Melanie:**

"We left our clothes in the woods." I giggled, laying under the sheets with Eric's head resting on my stomach.

We had started making love in the moonlight and somehow found ourselves exploring each other all throughout the house, ending up in our bedroom. The sex was amazing. Passionate. Gentle. Rough. All at once. It all felt so familiar and so brand new all at once. It was strange. This man was my husband, but he was also a different person at the moment.

"Want me to go get them?" He asked, lifting his head slightly to look up at me.

"Don't you dare move." I smiled, running my fingers through his hair.

He closed his eyes as he rested his head again. Looking down I smiled at the relaxed expression on his face.

"You still there?"

"I'm listening to your heartbeat." He whispered, with a smile. "I can feel it. Every pulse. Through your skin and into mine. If I lay still and think about nothing else…" His eyes opened and the smile faded through his lips. "It feels like my own heart is beating. It feels like mine is still racing."

"At least there are some things you haven't forgotten." I offered, running my fingertips down the smooth skin of his back. "For now, we can share mine."

He smiled again, lifting his head to lay it beside me on the pillow. I turned my body to face him, curling into him like I always did.

"Melanie." He asked, wrapping his arm around me. "What happens if I can't get my memory back?"

"Stop it. Of course we'll get it back." I hushed.

"Yeah, but let's say we don't. Would you still love me?"

I sighed, scooting closer into him, my hand resting on his cheek as I brushed it with my thumb.

"Eric, I'll love you no matter what. We promised till death and since your a vampire that might mean until my death but nonetheless I'm yours until that time. We'll make new memories. We'll experience new things together. We have the rest of our … my life." I smiled. "There's no one I'd rather do this with."

His eyes widened and he looked away. "That's right. You're not going to be around forever."

"But for as long as I am, you'll have me." I smiled, leaning to kiss his nose. "So let's just enjoy it."

 **OOO**

I made myself a cup of coffee in the kitchen. Eric was in the shower cleaning off. It allowed me time to think. What if Eric never did get his memories back? He might have feelings for me now, but what if they wear off? What if our connection isn't that strong? What if …

No. Stop it.

I told myself.

It wouldn't matter. We'd start from the ground up again. This relationship didn't come easy and it sure as hell wasn't going to be easy, our track record showed as much. We'd work on it. Just as we do now.

There was a knock on the door and I immediately reached for my shotgun. I'd grown accustomed to keeping it next to me at all times. Some called it paranoia, but they had no idea what was out there.

"Who is it?" I called, joined by Sookie who came out of her room.

"It's Bill." She said, pulling the curtain to see his face.

Awesome.

Opening the door, she stepped aside to let him in. I lowered the gun but kept it in hand. He wasn't taking my husband. Not again.

"Your majesty." Eric's voice sounded behind us and he bowed his head.

"I don't know why you let Eric go" Sookie said, looking between me and Bill, a small, grateful smile on her face. "but I'm glad you did."

"It appears the reunion was, uh, a happy one?" Bill said, looking at me.

"Yes." Eric answered, "very much so. Thank you."

Bill nodded, taking a deep breath. He wasn't able to look at Sookie for long. There was a sadness in him. Maybe in his undead heart he felt something for her. Maybe in Sookie's small brain that was enough to forget all the fucked up things he'd done. But no matter what amount of good he attempted, I'd never forgive him.

"What's in the bag?" I asked, pointing at the large black duffle in his hands with the shotgun.

He motioned towards the living room, setting the bag on the table. Taking a seat on the couches, he explained to us what he'd found out about the witches. What they could make vampires do. How they could control their every move if they wanted to. How many had died so far. The assassination attempt on his life.

"I can't believe a witch could make vampires do that." Sookie said, staring at the ground.

"Well believe it." Bill answered. "Of course it would be safest if Eric were to come with me, but …"

"He's not leaving."

"I'm not leaving."

Eric and I said simultaneously

"I thought not." He nodded before opening the bag to empty out large heavy silver chains.

"Are you kidding me?" I asked, face scrunched in disgust and confusion.

"If we do not chain ourselves, then we will all meet the sun together." Bill sighed. "I am going home, where Jessica and I will do the very same thing."

I looked down at Eric who stared at the chains. My stomach churned at the thought of what silver did to him. If Bill was telling the truth, then this is what had to happen. I'd already seen what they could do with Eric's head. Imagining them having control of his body enough to make him walk into the sun scared the shit out of me.

"It'll be dawn soon." Sookie said, looking at the grandfather clock.

"I should get going." Bill stood, looking me in the eye. "If you care anything for him, you will do this or it'll be his last day on earth."

I swallowed hard, not realizing how dry my mouth had gone, but I nodded.

Sookie went to walk out Bill while I took the chains, throwing them over my shoulder before taking Eric's hand to lead him back down to the cubby. He sat on the edge of the bed and I sat next to him.

"You're scared." He said, "I feel it."

"It's a scary situation." I replied, looking at the ground. "What if it doesn't work and I lose you?"

"Then we- "

"No." I interrupted, bringing my lips to his and kissing him softly. "I can't let either of us think like that. This will work. You're the strongest vampire I know. No one is going to make you do anything you don't want to. We're going to fight this."

All we could do was try. No matter what. We had to try. Thinking negatively wasn't going to help anything.

He nodded, kissing me back before he laid.

I draped the silver across his ankles, tying them to the feet of the bed, the smell of burning flesh filing the room. He muffled his screams but gasped in pain.

"Need any help?" Sookie came down. "Grabbing one of the chains."

"Get his wrist." I motioned.

"It feels like I've been drained." He whimpered as the cold metal was laid across his stomach. "Fuck." He groaned.

"I know." I replied, holding back tears. "I'm sorry. I've lost too many people in my life. I can't lose you too. "

Sookie looked down, placing a hand on mine to give it a comforting squeeze before picking up more chains.

"I understand." Eric nodded, taking a deep breath as Sookie neared him with the chains to place around his neck. "Okay." he said, lifting his neck for her to lower them.

He screamed when the metal touched his skin and I closed my eyes at the sound. My heart hurt. I could feel his pain in my soul.

"The sun should be coming up." Sookie said. "I hope … no, i'm sure this is enough. We should get upstairs."

"I'm not leaving." I shook my head, kneeling on the ground next to the bed watching as Eric's skin was being burned off by the chains.

 **OOO**

"What time is it?" Eric asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

By now I was covered in blood. He'd gotten the bleeds from being awake this late in the day. Plus his wounds from the silver were open sores.

I was going to kill the witch that did this. Limb from lip I'd make her suffer like she was making him suffer.

"Must be past noon by now." I replied.

Sookie had brought me breakfast a few hours okay, mentioned at that time it was 8 in the morning.

"The spell hasn't come." He said. "It may not come at all."

"Maybe not." I replied.

"Melanie." He looked at me. "Remove the silver."

I shook my head. "I can't take that chance. There's still half a day of sunlight left. If i let you meet the sun, I'd never forgive myself. "

"King Bill said the witch is very powerful. So who knows. I may meet the sun anyway. I'd rather you didn't remember me like this."

"The last time you were under this much silver, we were at a church where you were going to give yourself up to save Godric, and my sister and I. Even before we were anything, you were willing to die for me. But even then I was by your side, making you realize how stupid you sounded."

He laughed but choked back pain. "You loved me before we were even together?"

"I did." I nodded.

"I must've been pretty special." He smiled, weakly, but in comfort.

"We've - me, you, we've always had something special. Something that pulled us together. Somehow we're always in a predicament like this, but we don't leave each other's side. We don't abandon each other."

"Memory or no memory. I'm perfectly happy as long as I'm with you."

"Me too." I smiled, wiping a teardrop of blood from his face.

A breeze hit my back and I sat up. This cubby was airtight. There were not windows.

It got stronger, I could hear it howling from outside when all of a sudden, Eric screamed.

"The sun!" He started chanting, his body in pain as he started trying to lift himself up. "To the sun! The sun!"

It was happening. Fucking christ. It was happening!

"No!" I yelled, pressing down on his chest to keep him down.

The doors opened and then shut quickly as Sookie ran down the stairs, helping me keep him down.

"Eric, you have to hold on!" She yelled. "Hold on!"

"The chains!" He hissed violently at us, fangs dropped. "Take the chains off! Take 'em off!"

"Listen to me!" I begged, screaming over the howling wind. "You'll die if you go out there!"

"I DON'T CARE!"


	20. Chapter 20

**Melanie:**

The rest of the afternoon was grueling. I was in a constant state of panic that they would try the spell again. As many chains as we had on Eric, he was still able to fight enough where both Sookie and I had to sit on top of him to keep him still.

Once the silence had fallen, I sat, leaned back against the wall as Eric rested, eyes, ears, neck, body, blistered and bloody. It was a horrific sight. I was going to kill that bitch. Whoever was responsible for this. I was going to kill her.

"It's dusk." Sookie's voice sounded as she came back downstairs. "I think we're safe."

I lifted my head to look at her before returning my eyes to my husband. "Can you unchain him? I don't think i got it in me to cause him anymore pain."

" Of course." She nodded, a sympathetic smile on her lips. She leaned down to kiss my head before walking to the bed.

"Is it time?" He asked, opening his eyes.

"Yeah, sun's gone." She replied. "How do you want me to do this?"

"Yank it off." I replied. "Like a band-aid. It's better that way."

"Won't I pull some of him off with it?" She asked,

"It won't hurt as much as the silver does. And it heals faster." He replied, preparing himself for the pain.

Sookie pulled them off as quickly as she could, bits of his skin stuck to the chains, and he swore loudly in swedish gasping at the feel.

"Thank - thank you." He sighed in relief.

"I thought you said it would heal quickly?" Sookie asked.

I stood, walking to the bed to see that he wasn't healing like he usually did.

"Eric, when was the last time -"

He coughed, "I just realized I haven't eaten since the fae"

"My fairy godmother?" Sookie asked in disbelief.

"Jesus Christ." I ran my hair over my shoulder to free my neck. "You need to eat."

"He'll drain you." Sookie argued. "We'll get him tru-blood."

"No. You know our blood is special to them. He needs this." I countered.

"Sookie's right - I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself. You saw what I did to the other fairy."

"You won't drain me." I shook my head, helping him sit up. "I trust you."

"I just need some rest."

"You need to feed, Eric. Come on. Sookie will be right here with the silver just in case you don't stop."

Sookie nodded, grabbing the chains in her hand. Eric moved me closer, his fangs dropping before sinking into my neck. I winced at the pain but it was nothing compared to what he was going through.

 **OOO**

Eric had finally healed and showered, like our nightmare never happened. He moved around the bedroom naked, attentively looking at the items around the room as if seeing them for the first time.

I admired his form as he came into the bed, sliding under the sheets with a smile. That innocent smile.

"I wish we could be normal." I sighed, "I wish we could live without someone trying to kill us at every turn."

"Then let's run away." He sat up next to me.

"We can't just leave." I said, despite desperately wishing we could. "Those witches attacked you. They will try again. It's safer to stay and get the information we got last night."

"I just want to be with you." he sighed, meeting my eyes. "Forever."

I smiled softly, placing a hand on his cheek. "We'll be together a lifetime, baby. You and me."

The thought of Eric turning me had crossed my mind before. It was followed by endless strings of questions like: Do I want to be turned? Would I be okay never seeing sunlight again? Did I want to live forever?

Then one stuck out the most. Could I be turned?

 **OOO**

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Bill came into the room. "I don't have much time, so what can I do for you?"

"We're here to fight with you." Sookie said, meeting him in the eye.

We'd discussed all options and it had become clear that sitting this one out wasn't one of them. This was personal. These witches were out to slaughter innocent beings. They were trying to slaughter my husband and as much as I despised Bill - Sookie still loved him - and we couldn't let him die either.

"Fight with me?" Bill asked.

"Against the witches." I replied.

"This is not your battle." He sighed.

"It's Eric's, and it's yours. So it's ours." She returned.

"They have a warrior's heart, Your Majesty." Eric spoke.

I looked at him, heart melting. Eric would never say things as kind out loud. He saved them for when we were in private. Speaking like this showed vulnerability, he would say.

"They want to fight with you. As do I." He continued.

"I want peace." Bill corrected.

"But you're prepared for war."

"Of course. But I'm not convinced we will win."

"Well, war isn't about whether you think you can win, it's about being willing to die for something you believe is worth dying for." Eric said.

I could see his mind going back to his viking days.

"Perhaps I'm a little less inclined to gamble with Sookie's life than you are." Bill sassed and I rolled my eyes.

"Unless it benefits you enough to make you King." I retorted and Sookie lowered her eyes.

"That is not our decision." Eric replied to Bill.

"Thank you Eric. And now maybe you can both look at me and allow me to speak for myself." Sookie chimed in. "I can help. We have powers. Now, granted, I may not be in perfect control of those powers, but Mel is getting better and they've saved us and some others from some pretty dire circumstances."

"Sookie, you could die."

"Well call me crazy, but I'm willing to die if it means keeping an entire group of people I know and love from being eradicated in the name of hate."

"Look." I interrupted the longing gaze they were exchanging. "You need all the people you can get. It's not often I can say I'm on your side - but here we are. They're more likely to attack during the day and you're going to need humans on your team."

We made our way to the cemetery, where Bill was to try and talk to whoever was possessing that weird woman. The rest of us hid behind headstones waiting to jump in when needed.

Bill walked through the path, calling out her name. "Lady Antonia."

"I am no lady." A voice sounded behind him and I turned my head to see her. "I am peasant, and proud of it."

I resisted the urge to just run over there and rip her head off for what she did to Eric, but this was bigger than just us.

"I come in peace." Bill held his hands out.

"Do you?" She said in amusement. "I know you are not alone."

Bill gave a reluctant wave of his hand and we all came up behind him.

"Nor are you." He returned.

She waved her hands and four others appeared behind her. One of them being Tara.

"Tara?" Sookie asked in disbelief.

My blood boiled as she stood there stone faced.

"A sad testament to our inability to trust each other." Bill continued. "But I still believe that we can achieve a peaceful resolution."

"Describe this peaceful resolution to me."

"We will never harm you again. Anyone who has done so has been commanded to desist. Or they will face the true death. In return, I only ask that you remove the spells from my two subjects here."

"You say you are willing to execute those who have harmed me, but you bring them to me, and you ask me to remove spells I placed on them in self-defense. All for a promise that I'll never be harmed again."

"Yes."

"I have your word for this?"

"I swear it."

Sookie and I exchanged a look, listening to her mind as she chanted something.

"Bill - she's casting a spell!" I said, stepping forward, only to be held back by Eric.

"Demoness!" She yelled at me, waving her arms for more people to appear.

"Now!" Bill yelled, as more vampires appeared behind us along with his human guards.

Marney - Antonia - whatever, was physically taken aback by this.

"You may have dominion over us, but you do not over the living. Surrender now and on one will be hurt."

Marney chuckled and on as previously instructed, Eric charged through the people, ripping the heart out of one of them in a second. They all stood in shock while he held the heart up for them to take a look. Marney started chanting something and I charged for her, tackling her to the ground while a fog fell over the graveyard making it impossible to see.

All I could hear was the screams of people as I slammed my fists into her face over and over before my hands found their way to her neck. I could see her human side coming through as the air escaped her body only to be hit in the head with something and knocked off of her. Another woman was on top of me attacking me with repeated blows but I covered my face with my arms. In my fear the light glowed and threw the person off me but it wasn't the only one. I looked over and Sookie had found hers as well but then I heard a gunshot and I felt a sharp pain. I looked down at my body and I was unharmed but I looked over at Sookie and she was bleeding.

"Sookie!" I screamed, running towards her as she leaned against a headstone.

"What - what just -"

"Shit shit shit." I panicked, ripping taking off my jacket and wrapping it tightly around her to put pressure on her wound.

"Oh, fuck." Sookie said breathlessly staring out into the sky.

"Stay with me Sook." I begged, "Someone help!"

Alcide appeared out of nowhere and lifted her up.

"To the house!" I ordered, "Quickly!"

He took off with her and I looked out into the fog not seeing anyone but hearing screaming.

"Eric! Bill!?" I yelled, but got no answer.


	21. Chapter 21

**Melanie:**

Neither of them responded and I started running after Alcide. I watched as something swooped past me, knocking Alcide down before running into the house with Sookie.

It had to be Bill.

Alcide growled and I helped him up, running with him into the house.

"Sookie, I'm sorry. I should never have let you come…" Bill sighed, brushing her hair back.

"Then why did you?" Asked Alcide.

"Sook?" I asked, running my hand down her cheek. "Sook stay with me." I pleaded. "Bill, do something for fuck's sake."

He dropped his fangs, biting into this wrist before placing it into her mouth, letting the blood drip.

"Come on Sookie." I sighed, feeling my eyes start to burn with tears. "Please, come back."

I felt strong arms grab me, but they weren't Eric's. Where was he? Alcide tucked me into his chest, stroking my hair as he tried to shield me from watching Sookie but I couldn't bring myself to take my eyes off of her. Why wasn't it working? Was she too far gone? Was that even a possibility?

"Why isn't she opening her eyes, Bill?"

He lifted his head to look at me, something like sadness lurked behind them. "The more damage is inflicted, the longer it takes to heal. Give it time."

I bit my lip, stepping out of Alcide's embrace and walking into the kitchen. Leaning my hands on the counter, I let my head hang as my heart beat rapidly in my chest. I felt nauseous. Dizzy. Fucking sick to my stomach. It was all so much. Droplets of tears started to fall down my cheeks, dropping onto the granite between my hands. Why couldn't things just be fucking normal?

"She'll pull through." Alcide's voice sounded behind me. "She's a tough one."

"I can't even feel her." I replied, wiping the tears from my face before walking over to the liquor cabinet, grabbing a bottle of whiskey. "We've always been connected. Some telekinesis type shit."

I didn't know how much he knew about us being fae, but he wasn't going to hear it from me.

I lifted the bottle, taking a long slow sip to feel the liquid burning down my chest.

"Woah, woah." He crossed the floor, grabbing the bottle from me. "Take it easy. Sookie needs you right now. She's going to be okay. I know it."

I yanked the bottle from his hands. "Do you? How the fuck do you know? When is anything ever okay? She got shot, Alcide. She wasn't attacked by some vampire. A fucking human did that! Who are we even supposed to trust when monsters are all around us?" I yelled, taking another sip before feeling myself burst into tears. "It's my fault she was in this. I let my anger take over me. Without a fucking thought – I was ready for war to back at them for what they did to my husband. Now look where we are? Sookie's practically dead. Eric's nowhere to be found. It's all my fault." I broke down.

Alcide wrapped his arms around me again, taking the bottle and setting it on the counter behind me as he hugged me. I couldn't help but cry into the comfort of his embrace.

"It's not your fault. We both know she would've done this for Bill anyway. I'll tell you one thing, you Stackhouse women fight for what you believe in. It's admirable. Even if it don't always work out."

"Everything's gone to shit." I cried. "This was all my idea and look where it got us? Y'know what Eric said before we went to Bill's? He said the war wasn't our business. He wanted us to run away. Leave all of this behind."

"You should've listened." He replied quietly. "Neither you or her ever do."

"I should've fucking listened." I sighed before feeling a hint of something in my chest. "Alcide." I stepped back. "She's coming to."

He let me go, both of us running back into the living room to see Bill still hovering over her. She opened her eyes, looking up at him, then us.

"Sook." I dropped to my knees on the couch beside her.

"Hey." She smiled weakly. "Wha -"

"You – you got shot Sook. I'm so sorry." I whispered.

"Did did we win?" She asked, looking between us. "Where's Eric?"

"I – i don't know." I hung my head, wondering what they could be doing to him right now. He was so vulnerable, especially in the state he was in.

"I already have my men out looking for him. Now that I know you're alright," Bill turned his eyes to me and he paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing in confusion as he looked me over before continuing.. "I'll go and join them and I will search for him myself …"

"I have to go with you." I cut him off.

"Am I the only one who thinks this is batshit crazy?!" Alcide stood abruptly, his nostrils flaring in anger as he looked between us. "Why don't you women ever learn your lessons? Sookie, you almost came _this_ close to dying. Because of fangers. Again! Because of _their_ war. Because of _their_ problems. You said it yourself Mel. You should've listened. Eric would want you safe."

"Alcide, every minute we spend here…" Sookie spoke.

"Who knows what they're doing to him." I replied.

Bill was still looking at me, a solemn but still confused look on his face.

He looked between us, sighing. "I'm done here. You two are hopeless."

"Alcide." I followed him out the door.

He turned around, eyes shooting daggers at the ground, not being able to look at me.

"You know why I have to do this. You would do ANYTHING for Debby. To make sure she's safe. To make sure she's home. Just like Sookie would do for Bill. Just like Eric would stop at nothing for me." I walked down a few steps. "I know you care about us. I know what you feel for Sookie…. but please understand why I need to do this."

He growled under his breath hanging his head before disappearing down the dark path between the trees.

The door opened and closed behind me and I turned to see Bill walking down the stairs.

"What have you heard so far?" I asked, arms crossed over my chest.

"Nothing yet. I'm going to get a briefing then head out to join the search." He replied, clearing his throat.

"Okay." I nodded. "Let's go."

"No." He stopped me. "There's no point in you going out tonight. Watch after Sookie. She's still going to be weak for a short while. She needs you right now."

I looked back at the house, then at him. "I don't trust you. How do I know you'll actually try to bring him back?…. Alive."

"I'm all you have right now. I want this to end just as much as you do. I'll let you know if I find anything." He returned.

I nodded, wrapping my arms around myself. The thought of Bill being the only one I had was unsettling. It was true. Sookie almost died. This wasn't Alcide's fight. Who knew where Jason was. Mom, dad, and gran were all gone. I was alone in this. I couldn't trust Bill as far as I could throw him and yet I was forced to. Just until I was reunited with Eric.

I felt sick to my stomach again.

What would I do if we never found him? He was my best friend. I couldn't live without him.

I walked back up the stairs to the house, feeling Bill's eyes on me the whole way. He'd been looking at me funny the entire time we'd been here. I couldn't read his look, but it was freaking me out.

Shutting the door behind me, I could hear the shower running upstairs. I walked around slowly dead bolting all of the doors, securing and triple checking all of the windows to make sure everything was locked. I'd never felt as unsafe.

I made my way down to Eric's cubby. His bed was still unmade. The smell of him still lingering. The smell of sunshine and the sea. Sliding myself beneath the blankets, I lifted them to my nose, taking in the smell of him to relish in whatever comfort it would provide, letting them soak in the tears that I couldn't control.

We had to find him. We just had to.

 **ooo**

I stared at the empty shot glasses in front of me. The noise of the bustling bar behind me sounded so far. Everyone went on about their days as if nothing was wrong.

"Look lady, you gon' grab me a beer or am I gon' have to come over there and grab it myself?"

I turned around, looking at the disgusting hillbilly behind me before snapping out of my self-misery. I had to stop spacing out. It didn't do me any good.

Grabbing a beer from the fridge below, I placed it in front of him. "Anything else I can get you?"

"That'll be $8."

"$8 for a goddamn beer?!"

"$4 for the beer. $4 for the hollering at the staff."

"You expect not to get hollered at takin' 20 minutes for a goddamn bottle?!"

"Yup, we's a real classy place over here." I mocked in my thickest southern accent.

"Fine" He placed down some bills. "Don't expect a tip in that either." he grumbled.

I nodded, grabbing the cash and walking over to the register, putting in the four bills and keeping the other four for myself.

I needed to get out of this place. Eric always said I didn't have to work anymore if I didn't want to, but Sam needed the help and I needed to have some sort of contribution into the marriage.

How was I stupid enough to turn that down?

"Melanie – Sookie's on the phone for you." Arlene yelled over the noise.

"Thanks." I replied, walking over to the hallway to answer. "Hey, what's going on? How're you feeling?"

"Mel – Get your ass to the Festival of Tolerance. Marnie's got Eric and they're heading there now. She's going to use him to kill people and show the world that vampire's can't be trusted."

"Wait, what? Sook how do you know this? Where are you? Did he look okay?"

"He was under a spell – there's no time. Hurry!"

She hung up the phone and I did too, quickly taking off my apron before running out to my car, heading for the festival.

"First she erases his memory. Now she's got him under a spell. Oh, I can't wait to get my hands on her." I seethed. "Finish what I fucking started in that graveyard."

It wasn't long before I got there. I could see people running outside in a panic and slammed the brakes, pulling my car into park and running for the entrance.

"RUN!" I heard Sookie scream and shoved my way against the crowd.

There were more screams and I could see people being thrown left and right until I spotted him. He charged for the stage and started fighting Bill. Mercilessly throwing him into the ground repeatedly. I could see Sookie running towards the stage.

"Eric!" I screamed, trying my best to run through the crowd to get to him.

He didn't hear me. Shit.

He threw Bill across the floor and put him in a chokehold. Sookie jumped on his back but he tossed her off. Bill began shooting, catching Eric in the shoulder with a silver bullet before taking down the rest of them.

He went to shoot him again but I jumped in front. "Bill," I cried. "Please don't!"

I turned to face my husband who yanked the silver from his shoulder before running past me back to Bill, chanting "Kill the king."

"Bill!" Sookie yelled as he was thrown once more. She threw her body over his as Eric picked up a stake. Everything was moving so goddamn fast, I couldn't catch a breath.

"NO MORE!" I screamed and light came from all around me hitting Eric just as he was about to kill him.

The energy drained me, causing me to drop to my knees when everything went quiet around me.

I felt like I was going to throw up. It'd never taken that much out of me before. I lifted my eyes to see Eric.

His eyes met mine.

He was back.

My Eric was back.

"Melanie." He said, crossing the floor to me, dropping down to his knees to cup his hands over my face his eyes searching every inch of me before he pulled me into his embrace.

Holy fuck. He was back.


End file.
